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WITH THE JUDEANS IN THE 
PALESTINE CAMPAIGN 



THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

KBWYORK • BOSTON • CHICAGO • DAIXAS 
ATLANTA • SAN FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN & CO.. Limited 

LONDON • BOMBAY • CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE MACMILLAN CO. OP CANADA. Ltd. 

TORONTO 



PHYSICAL MAP 

OF 

PALESTINE 










Scale of miles 



6 10 20 40 60 80 
Scale of kilometres 



100 



6 10 20 40 GO 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 




WITH THE JUDEANS IN THE 
PALESTINE CAMPAIGN 



BY 

LIEUT.-COLONEL J. H. PATTERSON, D.S.C. 

AUTHOR OF "the MAN-EATERS OF TSAVo/' "iN THE 

GRIP OF THE NYIKa/' "wITH THE ZIONISTS 

IN GALLIPOH" 



THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

1922 

All rights reserved 



PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



1\^'. 






^'^.y' 






Copyright, 1922, 
By the MACMILLAN COMPANY. 



Set up and electrotyped. Published, November, 1922. 



FERRIS 

PRINTING COMPANY 

NEW YORK CITY 

DEC -6 '22 



C1A692250 



PREFACE 

THE formation of a Battalion of Jews for 
service in the British Army is an event with: 
out precedent in our annals, and the part 
played by such a unique unit is assured of a 
niche in history, owing to the fact that it fought 
in Palestine, not only for the British cause, but 
also for the Restoration of the Jewish people to 
the Promised Land. In writing the following- 
narrative, my object has been to give a faithful 
account of the doings of this Jewish Battalion 
while it was under my command. 

I am much indebted to Nursing Sister Cook, 
Captain Haldin Davis, the Rev. L. A. Falk, and 
Mr. Bendov, of Jerusalem, for permission to 
reproduce the photographs illustrating this book. 

J. H. Pattekson. 
London, 1922. 



INTEODUCTION 

IN the darkest days of the great World War, 
the British Cabinet decided that it would be 
good policy to create a Jewish Eegiment, and 
accordingly, in August, 1917, the first Jewish Bat- 
talion was formed. From that day forth, as a mat- 
ter of duty and loyalty to King and Country, it 
was clearly incumbent on all those in authority to 
treat this new unit with justice, and do everything 
in their power to make it a success. 

It is to be deplored that this Jewish Battalion 
— this ewe lamb of Israel — did not receive, while 
on active service in the Holy Land, that measure 
of justice and fair play that was its due. In 
common with the vast majority of my countrymen, 
I have the ^^fair play'' sense strongly developed. 
I am always prone to be on the side of the under 
dog — ^more especially when I see that the poor 
devil is getting more kicks than in all fairness are 
his due. In Palestine, unfortunately, I was con- 
stantly called upon to ward off unfair kicks, aimed 
at the Jewish Battalion under my command, by 
certain members of the local Staff of the Egyptian 
Expeditionary Force. I have passed over many 
of our sufferings in silence, and no record of them 

vii 



viii Introduction 

will be found in tliis book, but I am afraid tbey 
have left an indelible mark in the mind and heart 
of every man who served in the Jewish Battalion 
under my command, and I fear that the evil effects 
of the local Military Administration will rever- 
berate throughout Palestine for many a long year. 

But before I proceed further, let me first of all 
make it clearly understood that I am not a Jew — 
indeed, at the outbreak of the Great War I knew 
nothing of this ancient people, always excepting 
what I had read about them in the Bible and other 
Jewish books. My first contact with Jews was in 
the Gallipoli Campaign, where I was sent in com- 
mand of a Corps, composed of Zionists who had 
escaped from Palestine at the outbreak of war 
and taken service with the British Forces. Pre- 
sumably because I had had this experience, I was 
appointed to the command of the first Jewish 
Infantry Unit raised for service with the British 
Army. The career of this unique Battalion is 
bound to be closely followed by all Jews, while it 
would not surprise me if the historian of the fu- 
ture seized upon this dramatic appearance of the 
Jewish warrior, fighting for the redemption of 
Israel under the banner of England, as one of the 
most interesting episodes of the great World War. 

UnfoTtunately for us, with a few honourable 
exceptions, the local Staff of the E. E. F. were 
'^troublers of Israel.'' Instead of holding out a 
helping hand to this new Unit, on the contrary, 
every obstacle was placed in its way. In our times 
of tribulation in the Holy Land, my thoughts 



Introduction ix 

often went back to the Dardanelles, and I was 
heartened and cheered by the remembrance of the 
vastly different treatment meted out to the Jewish 
soldiers by the Staff in Gallipoli. Sir Ian Hamil- 
ton had vision enough to foresee what a tremen- 
dous force would be won over to the cause of Eng- 
land by dealing justly with Israel. In the Medi- 
terranean Expeditionary Force the attitude was 
essentially British. I regret I cannot say the 
same of the Staff of the Egyptian Expeditionary 
Force in 1918 and 1919. 

I am happy to be able to put on record that the 
Battalion was treated fairly and justly all the 
time it was stationed in England. The Staff at 
Plymouth always held out a helping hand when 
needed, and we embarked for Egypt with the 
blessing of the War Office and of the Adjutant 
General, Sir Nevil Macready, who told me before 
we sailed that it was his aim to form a Jewish 
Brigade, and that he was writing to the Comman 
der-in-Chief of the E. E. F. to recommend that 
this should be done as soon as our numbers justi- 
fied such a step. 

I felt that the Adjutant General had confided a 
great trust to me when I was selected for the com- 
mand of this Jewish Unit. It was a complete 
change from the command of an Irish Battalion, 
but the Irishman and the Jew have much in com- 
mon — temperament, generosity, love of children, 
devotion to parents, readiness to help those down 
on their luck, and, be it noted, great personal 
bravery. These qualities will probably not ap- 



X Introduction 

pear out of place to my readers so far as the 
Irishman is concerned, but I imagine many will 
be surprised when they hear that they also apply 
to the Jew. The soul-stirring deeds on the battle- 
field of such heroes as Judas Maccabaeus, Bar 
Kochba, and many others, can never be forgotten. 

I had one fear when I took over command of the 
Judeans, and that was that I might not be able 
to do them justice. I felt that, if a suitable Jew- 
ish officer could be found, it would be more appro- 
priate that he should have the honour of leading 
these soldiers of Israel in the struggle for the re- 
demption of Palestine; but, although I publicly 
stated that I should be glad to see a Jewish officer 
appointed to the command, no one came forward, 
and I was left with the whole weight of this great 
responsibility to the Jewish people on my shoul- 
ders. I, therefore, made up my mind, from the 
moment I took command, that, so far as was 
humanly possible, the Jewish Battalion should 
be brought through its fiery ordeal with honour. 

It was unfortunate for the new Eegiment, and 
doubly unfortunate for the Jewish people in Pal- 
estine, as this narrative will show, that the atti- 
tude of the local Staff was diametrically opposed 
to the declared policy of the Home Government, 
which had announced to the world, in the famous 
Balfour Declaration, that Palestine should once 
again become a national home for the Jewish peo- 
ple. In the face of this British announcement, 
certain officials in the Holy Land acted as if this 
epoch-making declaration were nothing but a mere 



Introduction xi 

*^ scrap of paper.'' When I observed the vain 
strivings of these men, and remembered the Prom- 
ise to Israel, I called to mind the saying of Gamal- 
iel, the great Rabbi, *^If this work be of men it 
will come to naught, but if it be of God, ye cannot 
overthrow it/' 

This local anti-Jewish policy eventually cul- 
minated in the Jerusalem pogrom, described in 
the closing chapter of this book, when, under Brit- 
ish rule, murderous native mobs ran riot, prac- 
tically unchecked, for nearly three days within the 
walls of the Holy City. This deplorable outrage 
at last opened the eyes of the Home Authorities to 
what was going on in Palestine, with the result 
that the Military Administration was abolished. 
A competent civil Governor replaced the Military 
Administrator, and Sir Herbert Samuel was sent 
out to pour oil and wine into the wounds which 
the unfortunate Jewish inhabitants had received, 
and to carry out the declared policy of England 
as announced in the Balfour Declaration. 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Preface v 

Introduction vii 

CHAPTER 

I. The Balfour Declaration 1 

II. The Sanballats 6 

III. The Formation of the Jewish Regi- 

ment 11 

IV. Training at Plymouth 19 

V. The Kosher Problem 28 

VI. We Set Out for Palestine 32 

VII. Back in the Land of Bondage 40 

VIII. The Feast of the Passover 51 

IX. We Set Out for the Front 57 

X. The Nablus Front 68 

XI. We March TO THE Jordan Valley 80 

XII. Our Position in the Mellahah 92 

XIII. Life in the Mellahah 101 

XIV. We Win Our First Honours 108 

XV. Capture of the Umm esh Shert Ford 115 

XVI. The Lost Transport Wagons 121 

XVII. We Go Up to Ramoth Gilead 127 

XVIII. The Crown of Victory 134 

XIX. The Strategical Value of Palestine . 141 

XX. Hospital Scandal at Jerusalem 148 

XXI. Life at Ludd 157 

xiii 



XIV 

CHAPTER 

XXII. 

IIIXXX 
XXIII. 

XXIV. 

XXV. 

XXVI. 

XXVII. 

XXVIII. 

XXIX. 

XXX. 

XXXI. 

XXXII. 

XXXIV. 

XXXV. 

XXXVI. 



Contents 

PAGE 

At Eafa 164 

Return of the Anzacs 170 

A Red-Letter Day 177 

Forbidden to Enter the Holy City. . 184 

The Great Boxing Competition 190 

An Exciting Race 195 

Damascus 202 

Among the Philistines 210 

The Fall of Goliath 218 

Protests 222 

A Trip to the Sea of Galilee 229 

Strange Methods of the E. E. F. 

Staff 240 

The First Judeans 250 

The Jerusalem Pogrom 253 

The Dawn 264 

Appendix 1 267 

Appendix II 269 



LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS 

PAGE 

Map of Palestine Frontispiece 

An Able and Enthusiastic Staff 16 

''Our Chaplain'' 17 

The Citadel— Cairo 42 

A Street in Cairo 42 

Tobacco Shop in Cairo 43 

Lieut. Tipsey Instructing the Corporal 43 

Men Drilling 43 

Sacred Shrine and Temples of Antiquity at Jeru- 
salem 50 

Midst the Palms Near Helmich 50 

Our Camp at Unun Suffah 50 

Our First Sabbath Service in Palestine at Surafeno 51 

''Enniskilling Road" 51 

In the Hills of Samaria 51 

Gaza, the Scene of Samson's Exploits 51 

The Auja, Which Is a Pleasant, Swiftly Flowing 

Streamlet 90 

Battalion Headquarters in the Mellahah 90 

Bedouin Girl at Eafa 91 

Bedouin Family at Raf a 91 

Bedouin Camp at Raf a 91 

Bedouin Women and Children at Raf a 91 

Roman Arch at Amman 134 

Circassian Cart at Amman 134 

XV 



xvi List of Illustrations 

PAGE 

Amphitheatre at Amman 134 

The Mighty Euins of Baalbec 135 

The Tomb of Saladin 135 

''I Came Upon a Submerged Herd of Buffalo". ... 232 

Where the Jordan Kushed Down 232 

Father Vendelene 233 

We Pleasantly Meandered Up the Jordan 233 

Hot Springs, Tiberias 233 

Cardinal Giustini Amid the Ruins of the Syna- 
gogue at Capernaum 233 

Ruins of the Old City of Tiberias 234 

Bedouin Reed Huts by the Jordan 235 

The Rickety Gangway 235 

Synagogue — Roffi Meyer, Tiberias 235 

The Jericho-Jerusalem Road 256 

Mosque of Omar and Arches, Jerusalem 256 

Damascus Gate of Jerusalem 256 



WITH THE JUDEANS IN THE 
PALESTINE CAMPAIGN 



CHAPTER 1 

THE BALFOUR DEOLAEATION 

IN the early days of 1917 the outlook for the 
Allied Powers was particularly black and men- 
acing. England, the mainstay in the great 
struggle, was in deadly peril, for, just about this 
time, the ruthless submarine campaign was at its 
height, and our shipping losses were appalling. 
The Central Powers, with startling rapidity, had 
crushed and overrun Belgium, Serbia, and Eou- 
mania, and a large slice of France was in the grip 
of the invader. It was a case of stalemate with 
Italy, while Russia, the Colossus with the feet of 
clay, was in the throes of a revolution and lost 
to the Allies. Turkey, the so-called ^^sick man 
of Europe," was found not only able to **sit up 
and take nourishment,'' but strong enough to ad- 
minister some nasty knocks to the surgeon, as we 
discovered to our cost in Gallipoli, and other 
places in the Near East. The Great Republic of 
the West did indeed throw in her lot with us in 
April, 1917, but many perilous months would have 
to elapse before she could pull her full weight, or 
even make her enormous power felt, to any appre- 
ciable extent on the battlefields of Europe. 

At such a moment as this it was of the very 

1 



2 With the Judeans in Palestine 

greatest importance that the world should be care- 
fully scanned, and every available ideal and policy 
made use of, which could be of advantage to our 
righteous cause. The happy inspiration there- 
upon seized upon our ministers to win over to the 
side of the Allies the teeming millions of the Chil- 
dren of Israel scattered throughout the world. 
The restoration of these people to the land of 
their forefathers had long been engaging the 
thoughts of mankind, and our statesmen now felt 
that the time was ripe for this age-long issue to 
be brought to fruition. 

It was, of course, known to the leading Zionists 
that the British Government was considering the 
policy of making a pronouncement in favour of 
the Jewish people, and many of the leaders of 
Zionism such as Dr. Weizmann, Mr. Sokolow, Mr. 
Jabotinsky and Mr. Joseph Cowen lost no oppor- 
tunity of pressing home the importance of winning 
Jewry, the world over, to England *s side, by de- 
claring boldly for a Jewish Palestine. It was felt 
by many that the right and proper way for Jewry 
to help England was by raising a Jewish legion 
to aid in the redemption of Palestine, and of this 
movement the leading spirit was Vladimir Jabo- 
tinsky, a distinguished orator, author, and jour- 
nalist. 

Ever since the beginning of the War this re- 
markable man, a Jew from Eussia, had carried 
on a vigorous propaganda on behalf of England. 
At his own expense, he had founded a newspaper 
in Copenhagen, and distributed it broadcast 



The Balfour Declaration 3 

among Jews in Eussia, Poland, neutral countries, 
and America. His propaganda was of great value 
to the Allies, for the Jews naturally hated Russia, 
owing to their harsh treatment and persecution in 
that country, and it was not until Jabotinsky set 
to work that they perceived that their real inter- 
ests lay with the Allies. To show a good example 
to others, he enlisted as a private in the 20th 
Battalion London Regiment, where he gathered 
round him a platoon composed principally of the 
men who had recently been serving in Gallipoli 
in the Zion Mule Corps. From his humble posi- 
tion in the ranks he bombarded the Prime Minis- 
ter, and the Secretaries of State for War and For- 
eign Atf airs in this country ; he sent emissaries to 
America, North and South, to Russia, Poland, the 
Caucasus, etc., and when, in July, 1917, the Gov- 
ernment declared their intention of creating a 
Jewish Regiment, he had everything in train for 
the formation of a legion at least 50,000 strong. 

I mention this here as one instance of this gal- 
lant officer's efforts for England, and I will ask 
,the reader to make a mental note of it, for before 
this narrative is ended it will be my painful duty 
to show how Jabotinsky was rewarded for all his 
invaluable services to the British cause. 

The Government policy towards world Jewry 
was brought to a head by a vigorous Zionist offen- 
sive, and resulted in the creation of a Jewish Bat- 
talion in August, 1917, followed a little later by 
the famous Balfour Declaration in favour of a 
national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. 



4 With the Judeans in Palestine 

This bold and wise pronouncement of British pol- 
icy was of great and far-reaching importance, and 
is regarded by Jewry throughout the world as 
their Charter of Liberty. It is embodied in the 
following letter to Lord Eothschild : 

"Foreign Office, November 2, 1917. 
' * Dear Lord RoTHSCHnD : 

**I have much pleasure in conveying to you on behalf 
of H. M. 's Government the following Declaration of sym- 
pathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations, which has been 
submitted to and approved by the Cabinet : 

*' *His Majesty's Government view with favour the 
establishment in Palestine of a national home for the 
Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to fa- 
cilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly un- 
derstood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice 
the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish com- 
munities in Palestine, or the rights and political status 
enjoyed by Jews in any other country.' 

'*! should be grateful if you would bring this Declara- 
tion to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation. 
"Yours sincerely, 
(Signed) "Arthur James Balfour.'* 

This was perhaps the most momentous declara- 
tion made throughout the war, and it derived a 
special significance from the fact that it was made 
just at the time when the first definite steps were 
being taken towards freeing Palestine from the 
yoke of the Turk. It was received by practically 
all sections of the British press with the most 
cordial approval. 

By pious Jews it was regarded as little short 
of the Voice of God, bringing their long cherished 



The Balfour Declaration 5 

aspirations within sight of fulfillment. All down 
the centuries from the time of the Dispersion it 
has been the dream of the Jew that one day he 
would be restored to his ancestral home. In his 
exile the age-long cry of his stricken soul has ever 
been ^^next year in Jerusalem. '' 

Christians, too, have always believed in the ful- 
filment of prophecy, and the restoration of the 
Jewish people is of no little interest to them, so it 
can be imagined with what feelings of joy and 
gratitude the masses of the Jewish people looked 
upon this promise of England, holding out as it 
did the prospect of the realisation of their dear- 
est hope. Nothing like it has been known since 
the days of King Cyrus. It is not too much to 
say that this epoch-making Declaration uplifted 
the soul of Israel the world over. Mr. Balfour 
may not live to see the full fruits of his famous 
pronouncement, but prophecy will assuredly be 
fulfilled, and his name will go down for all time, 
second only to that of Cyrus, in the chronicles of 
Israel. 

Jeremiah's prophecy on the Restoration of Is- 
rael has a wonderful significance in these days: 
''Hear the word of the Lord, ye nations, and 
declare it in the isles afar ofiP, and say, He that 
scattered Israel will gather him and keep him, as 
a shepherd doth his flock.'' 



CHAPTER II 

THE SANBALLATS 

ON the twenty-seventh of July, 1917, while I 
was stationed at Curragh in command 
of a Battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusi- 
liers, I got a telegram from the War Office, order- 
ing me to report there and commence the organi- 
zation of the Jewish Legion about to be raised, so 
I set out forthwith for London. On getting my 
instructions from Major General R. Hutchison, 
the Director of Organization, he told me, among 
other things, that a certain Sergeant Jabotinsky 
would probably be most useful to me, for he was 
a very keen worker, and an ardent advocate of the 
Jewish Regiment. I told him that I had already 
met Jabotinsky and I knew his assistance would 
be invaluable, and requested that he might be at- 
tached to me for duty at once. I was given a 
room at the War Office annex, which had been 
taken over from the National Liberal Club. Here 
I was joined in due course by Jabotinsky, now a 
full-fledged sergeant. 

We had hardly begun to move in the matter 
of recruiting for the Jewish Regiment, when I be- 
came aware that in certain quarters of influential 
English Jewry there was violent hostility to Zion- 

6 



The Sanhallats 7 

ist aspirations, and also to the very idea of a 
Jewish Eegiment. I therefore felt that, in order 
to clear the air, it would be necessary to hold a 
meeting of those who were in favour of, as well as 
those who were opposed to, the formation of a 
Jewish Eegiment, and try to induce the latter to 
cease obstructing a policy which had already been 
decided upon by the British Government, and to 
give me their help in making the proposed Eegi- 
ment a success. 

A meeting of representative men on both sides 
was held at the War Office on August 8, 1917. 
Among those present were : Lord Eothschild, Ma- 
jor Lionel de Eothschild, Major Neill Primrose, 
Captain Ormsby Gore, M. P., Mr. Sebag Monte- 
fiore, Dr. Weizmann, Mr. Joseph Cowen, Dr. Eder, 
Captain Salaman, E. A. M. C, Mr. M. J. Landa, 
Mr. C. J. Greenberg, the Eev. S. Lipson (Senior 
Jewish Chaplain to the Forces in England) and 
Sergeant Jabotinsky — about twenty in all. Col- 
onel Sir Mark Sykes, M. P. (whose untimely 
death I deeply lament), and Lieut.-Colonel L. S. 
Amery, M. P., who were then secretaries to the 
War Cabinet, also attended, both being warm 
friends of the movement, I briefly addressed the 
meeting and explained that I had called them to- 
gether to give me their advice and assistance in 
the formation of the Jewish Eegiment. 

I was, of course, aware that there was somewhat 
of a cleavage amongst the Jews on this question, 
but the bitterness and hostility shown were quite a 
revelation to me. I could not understand how any 



8 With the Judeans in Palestine 

Jew could fail to grasp this heaven-sent oppor- 
tunity and to do all in his power to further the 
efforts of the British Government on behalf of the 
Jewish people. Imagine my surprise, therefore, 
when certain of the Jews in opposition vigorously 
denounced the formation of a Jewish Eegimnt, 
and equally vigorously damned the aspirations of 
the Zionists ! 

Dr. Weizmann gave a slashing reply to the San- 
ballats from the Zionist point of view, which cut 
the ground from under their feet; and Jabotin- 
sky, in his address for the cause he had at heart, 
lifted the debate to a level immeasurably above 
the point of view of his opponents. A few others 
spoke, and then I again addressed the meeting and 
said I thought it was a good thing the Govern- 
ment had not left it to the comunity to form a 
Jewish Eegiment, as I saw that they would never 
agree; but as the Government had already made 
up its mind, and was determined to have a Jewish 
Legion of some kind, I begged them to lay aside 
all differences and help me to make a success of 
a movement which was bound to affect Jews, one 
way or another, throughout the world. In con- 
clusion, I said I would rather know who were my 
friends, and asked all those who did not intend to 
further this scheme, which after all was a scheme 
propounded and adopted by the British Govern- 
ment, to retire. Not a man moved. 

While I was making my address a note was 
passed to me from hand to hand. On opening it 
I read, ^'Can you dine with me this evening? I 



The Sanbaltats 9 

should like to join your new Battalion. N. P.'* 
I little knew when I scribbled back, ''So sorry, am 
engaged,'^ what serious consequences hung on 
my answer, for I feel sure that Neill Primrose 
would not have been cut off in his prime had I 
dined with him that night, and '' recruited '* him 
for the Jewish Battalion; but I never saw this 
very gallant officer again. He went out to Pales- 
tine soon afterwards, where he met his death while 
leading his men in a charge. 

To return to the meeting: When I found that 
not one of our opponents was prepared to declare 
himself an open enemy of the policy of H. M.'s 
Government, I said that as the formation of the 
various committees connected with the regiment 
was an essentially Jewish matter, I would now 
retire, and I asked Lord Kothschild to take the 
chair. Within half an hour of my leaving the 
meeting I was summoned by Brigadier General 
Sir Auckland Geddes, as he then was. The Gen- 
eral appeared to be extremely flurried and an- 
noyed. Apparently, immediately after I had left 
the meeting, two gentlemen had gone straight 
from it to Sir Auckland, and made a bitter at- 
tack on me for having, as they said, held a Zion- 
ist meeting in the War Office. I assured him that 
there was no attempt at holding a Zionist meet- 
ing, but that a number of representative Jews 
and others had been called to help me in carrying 
out the policy of the War Office, and I pointed 
out that it was entirely due to the two gentlemen 
who complained, that any question of Zionism had 



10 With the Judeans in Palestine 

been raised. The General gave me a lecture on 
the Yugo-Slavs, and the Czecho-Slavs, and the 
ramifications of Zionism — a discourse in which, 
I must confess, I was not particularly interested. 
Why any Jew should be an anti-Zionist passes 
my comprehension, for the Zionist's ideal in no 
way interferes with the rights and privileges of 
those fortunate Jews who have found happy homes 
in friendly countries, but aims at establishing a 
national home for those less happy ones, who, 
against their will, are forced to live in exile, and 
who have never ceased to yearn for the land 
promised to their forefather Abraham and his 
seed for ever. Yet I will have to show that, as 
there were Sanballats* who bitterly opposed the 
restoration in the days of King Artaxerxes, twen- 
ty-five hundred years ago, so there were modern 
Sanballats who bitterly opposed the restoration 
in the days of King George. 



* See Nehemiah, Chaps, ii and iv. 



CHAPTER III 

THE FORMATION OF THE JEWISH REGIMENT 

ON August 23, 1917, the formation of the 
''Jewish Regiment" was officially an- 
nounced in the London Gazette, and I was 
appointed to the command of a Battalion. At the 
same time it was officially intimated that a special 
Jewish name and badge would be given to the 
Battalions of this Regiment. 

On hearing of this determination the Sanbal- 
lats immediately got very busy. Heads were put 
together, and letters written up and down the 
land to all and sundry who were likely to serve 
their purpose, with the result that, on August 30, 
1917, a deputation waited upon Lord Derby (then 
Secretary of State for War), for the purpose of 
making representations against the proposed 
name and badge of the Jewish Regiment, and, in 
fact, against the formation of any such unit as a 
Jewish Battalion. 

One member of this deputation went so far as 
to represent to Lord Derby that Lord Rothschild, 
the head of the celebrated Jewish family to whom, 
as representing the Jewish people Mr. Balfour 
later on addressed the famous declaration, was 
also opposed to the formation of a Jewish Regi- 

11 



12 With the Judeans in Palestine 

ment. Lord Eothschild assured me that this was 
not the case ; for once it became the policy of the 
British Government to form a Jewish Eegiment, 
he felt bound as a patriotic Jew to back it up and 
do all in his power to make it a success. No lit- 
tle thanks are due to Lord Eothschild for the way- 
he devoted himself to the comfort and welfare 
of the Jewish Battalions, from the first day they 
were formed. 

The result of the deputation was that the name 
Jewish Eegiment was abolished, and no Jewish 
badge was santioned. All Jewish Battalions 
raised were to be called Eoyal Fusiliers. But 
our worthy friends might have saved themselves 
all the trouble they took, and the trouble they gave 
to the War Ministry, because, from the moment 
that the Battalions were formed, although they 
were known officially as Eoyal Fusiliers, yet unoffi- 
cially, everywhere, and by every person, they were 
known solely as the Jewish Battalions. 

Lord Derby made the mistake of thinking that 
these few rich men represented the Jewish masses. 
A greater mistake was never made, for, from my 
own experience, I can vouch for the fact that they 
are altogether out of touch with the thoughts 
and feelings of the vast majority of the Jewish 
people. What a different tale I should have to 
tell, had men such as these played up to the 
policy of England! Had their vision only been 
broader, they would have said among themselves, 
^ ^ This is a policy we do not like. It may affect us 
adversely, but it is the policy of England, and 



The Formation of the Jewish Regiment 13 

England in peril, and we must therefore bind our- 
selves together and make it a success." 

If they feared that these Jews from Eussia and 
Poland would not worthily uphold Jewish tradi- 
tions, they might have gone to the Secretary for 
War and told him their fears, and said that, as it 
was absolutely necessary for world Jewry that 
this experiment of creating Jewish Battalions 
should have a fair chance, they would request 
his aid in this matter and ask that at least twenty- 
five per cent of every Battalion be composed of 
Jews from England, who, having seen service in 
France, would therefore give some necessary and 
valuable stiffening to these raw Jewish units. With 
such a stiffening, and a solid English Jewry at 
the back of the Jewish Eegiment, what a trium- 
phant page in Jewish history these Battalions 
would have written! 

Instead of this, every possible obstacle was 
placed in the way of success. Interested parties 
scoured the East End of London and the big pro- 
vincial cites, advising young Jews not to enlist. 
Even in France the Jewish soldiers serving in the 
various units there were told by Jews, who ought 
to have known better, that they should on no ac- 
count transfer. The result of this was that re- 
cruiting went on very slowly, and instead of being 
able to form a Jewish Legion in the course of a 
few weeks, as could easily have been done out of 
the 40,000 Jewish young men in England alone, 
it took over four months to form even one Bat- 
talion. 



14 With the Judeans in Palestine 

I happened by chance one day to meet a promi- 
nent member of the Sanballat deputation in the 
"War Office, and, in the course of conversation, I 
asked him why he objected so strongly to the for- 
mation of a Jewish Eegiment. He replied that he 
had no faith in the Russian Jews, and feared they 
would bring discredit on Jewry. I said that, from 
what I had seen in Gallipoli of the Jew from Rus- 
sia, I had more faith in him than he had, and that 
I felt confident I could make him into a good sol- 
dier. He was kind enough to remark, ^^Well, per- 
haps under you they will turn out to be good sol- 
diers, but then they might win Palestine, and 1 
don't want to be sent there to live.'' I replied 
that his fears in this respect were entirely ground- 
less. He remarked that he was not so sure about 
that, for if the Jews had a country of their own, 
pressure might be brought to bear upon them to 
go and live there — which clearly shows that these 
rich and fortunate Jews cannot have given much 
real thought to the question, for there is nothing 
in the Zionist movement to force anyone to live 
in Palestine, and it would be manifestly impossible 
to pack fourteen million people within the nar- 
row limits of their ancestral home. 

When my pessimistic friend told me that these 
foreign Jews were no good, and would bring dis- 
credit upon the best part of Jewry, I made a men- 
tal resolve that I would prove to him one day that 
his despised Jewish brethren, from Russia and 
elsewhere, would make as good soldiers, and as 
good all-round men, as those in any of the British 



The Formation of the Jewish Regiment 15 

Army. As these pages progress, and the history 
of the 38th Jewish Battalion is unfolded before 
the eyes of the reader, it will be seen that my ex- 
pectations were more than realized, for the Bat- 
talion drilled, marched, fought, and generally 
played the game, as well as any Battalion in the 
Army. 

It is a curious fact that so far as I could gather, 
the Inner Actions Committee of the Zionist or- 
ganization, with the honoured exception of Dr. 
Weizmann, looked on us with suspicion. The for- 
mation of Jewish Battalions did not appeal to 
them. How it was possible that the leaders of 
Zionism should not have grasped, and taken to 
their hearts, this gift of Jewish Battalions from 
the British Government, for the furtherance of 
their ow^n ends, is one of the greatest examples of 
ineptitude that has ever come within my experi- 
ence. Here was a body of keen and enthusiastic 
men, devoting their lives to the restoration of the 
Holy Land to its rightful owners, and yet they 
shied when the one essential weapon that could 
have given it to them was being virtually thrust 
into their hands. How different would have been 
the position of the Zionists at the Peace Confer- 
ence, after the Armistice was signed, if they had 
been able to point proudly to 50,000 Jewish troops 
in Palestine, instead of to the 5,000 who were 
actually serving there at the close of the war ! 

I know that Dr. Weizmann had vision enough to 
foresee the strength which such a Legion would 
give to his diplomacy, but unfortunately his col- 



16 With the Judeans in Palestine 

leagues on the Zionist Council did not see eye to 
eye with him in this matter until it was too late. 
I tried to do what in me lay with certain of the 
leaders of Zionism, and spent some time endeav- 
ouring to enthuse a devoted and spiritual Jew who 
was deeply interested in the Eestoration; indeed 
I thought I had won him over to the cause of the 
Legion, for at times during our conversation his 
face lit up at the possibilities unfolded to him, 
but, alas, after I left him, I fear he fell away from 
grace! Some of the Zionist men such as Mr. 
Joseph Cowen, fully realised all the advantages 
which would accrue from a Jewish Legion helping 
to win Palestine from the enemy and these were 
eager workers towards this end. 

Vladimir Jabotinsky always believed in the 
proverb that the Lord helps those who help them- 
selves, and therefore he felt that it was essential 
that a Jewish Legion should fight for the redemp- 
tion of Israel's ancient heritage. And it was well 
for Jewry that Jabotinsky was a chosen instru- 
ment, because, if no Jewish troops had fought in 
Palestine, and no Jewish graves could be seen in 
the cemetery on the Mount of Olives and in every 
military cemetery in Egypt and Palestine, it would 
have been, for all time, a reproach unto Israel, and 
I have grave doubts whether the Peace Confer- 
ence would have considered the time ripe for the 
Jewish people to be restored to their ancient 
land. I am certain of this, that if Jabotinsky 's 
ideals of a powerful Legion had been more fully 




'OUR CHAPLAIN," THE REV. L. H. FALK. 



(Se« p. 35) 



The Formation of the Jewish Regiment 17 

realised, Dr. Weizmann's position at the table of 
the Peace Conference would have been immeasur- 
ably strengthened. 

It must, however, be recorded for the honour 
of British Jewry, that the vast majority of Eng- 
lish Jews were heartily in accord with the Gov- 
ernment policy, and proud of the fact that, practi- 
cally for the first time in Jewish history since 
the days of Judas Maccabaeus and Bar Kochba, 
Battalions of Jewish infantry were to be raised 
and led against the common enemy in Palestine. 

It was also to the credit of English Jewry that 
a deputation, representing the Jewish masses in 
England, sought and obtained an interview with 
the Secretary of State for War, with the view to 
the retention of a distinctive Jewish name and 
badge for the Battalions. This deputation was 
introduced on September 5th by Mr. J. D. Kiley, 
M. P., a non-Jew, and among others the follow- 
ing men were present: Captain Eadcliffe Sala- 
man. Dr. Eder, Messrs. Elkin Adler, Joseph 
Cowen, L. J. Greenberg, and M. J. Landa. Lord 
Derby had, however, committed himself to the 
first deputation and all he could promise to the 
deputation representing the Jewish masses was 
that, if the Eegiment distinguished itself in the 
field, it would then be given a Jewish title and a 
Jewish badge. This deputation also obtained the 
War Secretary's sanction to the supply of Kosher 
food, and to the observance of Saturday as the 



18 With the Judeans in Palestine 

day of rest; Lord Derby also promised that, as 
far as possible, all Jewish festivals should be re- 
spected, and that Jewish units would, service con- 
ditions permitting, be employed onl^^ in Palestine. 
How the Battalions distinguished themselves and 
won a special Jewish name and badge will be re- 
corded faithfully in the following pages. 



CHAPTER IV 

TBAINING AT PLYMOUTH 

I WAS delighted when, at last, I got away from 
organization duty at the War Office, with all 
its worries and vicissitudes, and commenced 
the real active work of training a fighting Bat- 
talion of Jews. Plymouth was the spot chosen as 
our training centre, and at the Crown Hill Bar- 
racks, near this famous and beautiful harbour, 
we commenced our military career. 

A recruiting depot was at the same time estab- 
lished in London at 22 Chenies Street, where a 
Staff was installed under the command of Major 
Knowles, an excellent officer, who had previously 
served under me in the South African War, and 
who was an ardent supporter of Zionist ideals. 
Recruits were received here and fitted out with 
uniforms before being sent on to Plymouth, and 
the comfort of the men while at the Depot was 
ably attended to by various committees of ladies 
and gentlemen, whose names will be found in the 
Appendix. They were fortunately in a position 
to give much needed financial aid to various de- 
pendents, from the moment the Committee began 
work, as public-spirited and liberal Jews were 
found who gave to the good cause with both hands. 

19 



20 With the Judeans in Palestine 

x\mong these was Mr. Leopold Frank, who gave 
the princely donation of £1,000. Mr. Lionel D. 
Walford especially was untiring in his efforts for 
the welfare and happiness of every recruit who 
came to the Depot, and so won the hearts of all 
by the personal service that he gave, day in and 
day out, that he was universally and affectionately 
known to the Judeans as *^ Daddy.'' 

As the nucleus for the Jewish Battalion, I ar- 
ranged for the transfer of a platoon of my old 
Zion Mule Corps men from the 20th Battalion of 
the London Regiment, where they were then serv- 
ing under the command of Colonel A. Pownall. 
My best thanks are due to this officer for the help 
he gave me in effecting the transfer of my old 
veterans. These warlike sons of Israel, not con- 
tent with the laurels they had already won in Gal- 
lipoli, sought for fresh adventure in other fields 
and so volunteered for service in France. On 
the way home their ship was torpedoed and sunk 
by an Austrian submarine, but fortunately not a 
Zion man was drowned, all managed to cling 
to spars and wreckage, and floated safely to a 
Grecian issue, from which they were rescued. They 
eventually reached England in safety, but all their 
personal belongings were lost. 

Men soon began to arrive at Plymouth in 
batches of twenties and thirties from all over the 
Kingdom. Many trades and professions were rep- 
resented, but the vast majority were either tail- 
ors or in some way connected with the tailoring 
trade. I made it a practice to see every recruit as 



Training at Plymouth 21 

soon as he joined, and find out something about 
his family and affairs. I also gave every man some 
advice as to how he was to conduct himself as a 
good soldier and a good Jew. The famous sculp- 
tor, Jacob Epstein, was one of my most promising 
recruits, and after he had served for some months 
in the ranks I recommended him for a commission. 
When the 38th Battalion left Plymouth for Pales- 
tine, Epstein remained behind with the second 
Jewish Battalion then formed, but owing to some 
bungling the commission was never granted. 

The difficulties of my command were not few. 
On broad religious grounds Judaism is not com- 
patible with a soldier ^s life, and I may say I had 
many strict Jews in the Battalion ; then they were 
aliens, utterly unaccustomed to army life, and 
with an inherent hatred of it, owing to the harsh 
military treatment to which the Jew in Eussia was 
subjected; some of them did not speak English, 
and practically all of them hated serving any cause 
which might in the end help Russia; they knew 
also that there was a strong body of Jewish opin- 
ion in England which was hostile to the idea of a 
Jewish Unit. To make matters worse, the men 
came from sedentary occupations. They had never 
been accustomed to an outdoor, open-air life, and 
naturally dreaded, and really felt, the strain of 
the hard military training which they had to un- 
dergo in those cold winter days at Plymouth. 

It can be imagined, therefore, that I had no 
easy task before me in moulding these sons of 
Israel, and inspiring them with that martial ar- 



22 With the Judeans in Palestine 

dour and esprit de corps whicli are so necessary, 
if men are to be of any use on the field of battle. 
I imprssed upon them that strict discipline and 
hard training were not merely for my amusement 
or benefit, but were entirely in their own inter- 
ests, so that when the day of battle came they 
would be fitter men and better fighters than their 
enemies and with these two points in their favour 
the chances were that, instead of getting killed, 
they would kill their opponent, and emerge from 
the battle triumphant. The men soon grasped the 
idea, and took to soldiering and all that it means 
with a hearty good will. I am happy to say that 
all difficulties were surmounted, and, at the close 
of the campaign, the Battalion presented as fine 
and steady an appearance on parade as any Bat- 
talion in the E. E. F. 

Luckily for me, I had an able and enthusiastic 
staff to assist me in my endeavours. I cannot 
sufficiently praise the great servace rendered to 
the Battalion, during its infant stages, by Captain 
Eedcliffe Salaman, R. A. M. C, who was our medi- 
cal officer. His knowledge of the men and of Jew- 
ish matters generally was invaluable to me. My 
Adjutant, Captain Neill, had already had two 
years' experience in a similar position with a bat- 
talion of the Rifle Brigade. I found him to be 
able and diplomatic — the latter an essential qual- 
ity in the handling of Jewish soldiers. In my Sec- 
ond in Command, Major MacDermot, I had an 
officer of wide experience and high principles, who 
had served under my command in the Dublin 



Training at Plymouth 23 

Fusiliers. In my Assistant Adjutant, Lt. B. 
Wolff e (whose tragic death in Palestine I shall 
relate in its proper place), I had an exceptionally 
gifted Jewish officer, hard-working, painstaking, 
conscientious, and all out in every way to make 
the Jewish Battalion a success. 

I tried to induce Senior Jewish officers to join 
the Battalion, but I found it very hard to get 
volunteers, for the Senior men preferred to re- 
main in their own British Eegiments. I was able 
to obtain the services of a fair number of Junior 
Jewish officers, and the Battalion gradually filled 
up in officers, N. C. O.'s, and men. 

I would like to mention here that, although the 
great majority of all ranks were Jews, yet there 
were some Christian officers, N. C. O.'s, and one 
or two men. In spite of this, there was never the 
very slightest question between us of either race 
or religion. All eventually became animated with 
one spirit — devotion to the success, welfare, and 
good name of this Jewish Battalion. 

I am glad to say that we had practically no 
crime to stain our record. There was not a sin- 
gle case of a civil offence being recorded against 
us all the time we were at Plymouth, which is 
something new in Army annals. And yet another 
record was created by this unique Battalion. The 
^^wet canteen, '' where beer only was sold, had to 
be closed, for not a single pint was drunk all the 
time it was open. 

The men showed wonderful quickness and ap- 
titude in mastering the details of their military 



24 With the Judeans in Palestine 

training. It came as a surprise to me to find that 
a little tailor, snatched from the purlieus of Pet- 
ticoat Lane, who had never in all his life wielded 
anything more dangerous than a needle, soon be- 
came quite an adept in the use of the rifle and 
bayonet, and could transfix a dummy figure of 
the Kaiser in the most approved scientific style, 
while negotiating a series of obstacle trenches at 
the double. 

I noticed that the men were particularly smart 
in all that they did whenever a General came 
along. I remember on one occasion, when we were 
about to be inspected, I told the men to be sure and 
stand steady on parade during the General Sa- 
lute ; I impressed upon them that it was a tradition 
in the British Army that, unless a Battalion stood 
perfectly steady at this critical moment, it would 
be thought lacking in discipline and smartness, 
and would get a bad report from the General. So 
zealous were my men to uphold this time-hon- 
oured tradition, that I verily believe that these 
wonderful enthusiasts for rigid British discipline 
never blinked an eyelid while the General was 
taking the salute. Certainly every Commander 
who inspected us always expressed his astonish- 
ment at the rock-like steadiness of the Jewish 
Battalion on parade. 

During our training period at Plymouth we re- 
ceived many kindnesses from the Jewish commu- 
nity there, more especially from its president, Mr. 
Meyer Fredman. 

In the long winter evenings we had lecturers 



Training at Plymouth 25 

who addressed the men on various interesting sub- 
jects. The famous and learned Rabbi Kuk of 
Jerusalem paid us a visit, and gave the men a 
stirring address on their duties as Jewish sol- 
diers. Jabotinsky gave various lectures, one es- 
pecially on Bialik, the great Jewish poet, being 
particularly memorable. We had many talented 
music-hall and theatrical men in our ranks; our 
concerts were, therefore, excellent, and our con- 
cert party was in great request throughout the 
Plymouth district. 

If there was one officer more than another who 
helped to promote the men's comfort it was Lieut. 
E. Vandyk. He was in charge of the messing ar- 
rangements, and the Battalion was exceptionally 
fortunate in having a man of his experience to 
undertake this most exacting of all tasks. Later 
on, Vandyk proved himself equally capable as a 
leader in the field, where he was promoted to the 
rank of Captain. 

I must not forget the kindness shown to us at 
Plymouth by Lady Astor, M. P., who gave us a 
Recreation Hut, and by Sir Arthur Yapp, the Sec- 
retary of the Y. M. C. A., who furthered our com- 
fort in every possible way. 

While we were yet at Plymouth, I received or- 
ders from the War Office to form two more Jew- 
ish Battalions in addition to the 38th. As soon 
as sufficient recruits justified it, I recommended 
the authorities to proceed with the formation of 
the 39th Battalion, and to appoint Major Knowles 
from the Depot to the command. This was done, 



26 With the Judeans in Palestine 

and from what I saw during the time I was in 
Plj^mouth, I felt quite confident that Colonel 
Knowles would make an excellent commander. 

Colonel Knowles was succeeded at the Depot 
in London by Major Schonfield, who worked un- 
tiringly to promote the interests of the recruits 
and to imbue them with a good soldierly spirit 
while they were passing through his hands in 
Chenies Street. About the same time as Colonel 
Knowles was appointed, Captain Salaman so 
highly recommended his brother-in-law, Colonel 
F. D. Samuel, D. S. 0., to me that I asked the 
Adjutant General if this officer might be recalled 
from France to take charge of the training at 
Plymouth, and Jewish affairs there generally, 
after my departure for Palestine. The Adjutant- 
General very kindly agreed to my request, and 
transferred Colonel Samuel from France to Plym- 
outh at very short notice. 

Soon after I left for Palestine, recommenda- 
tions were made to the War Office that it would be 
preferable to have a Jewish officer in command of 
the 39th Battalion, and the result was that Colonel 
Samuel was appointed to the 39th Battalion in 
the place of Colonel Knowles. This treatment was 
most unfair to the latter, who had worked ex- 
tremely hard and enthusiastically, both at the De- 
pot and during the time he held command of the 
39th Battalion, where he did all the spade work 
and made things very easy for his successor. Col- 
onel Knowles afterwards went to France and later 
on served with the North Eussian Expeditionary 



Training at Plymouth 27 

Force. Of course it was all to the good to have a 
Jewish Commanding Officer, but it should have 
been arranged without doing an injustice to Col- 
onel Knowles. About this time Major Margolin, 
D. S. 0., a Jewish officer attached to the Aus- 
tralian Forces, was transferred to the Depot at 
Plymouth, and eventually replaced Colonel Sam- 
uel in the command of the 39th Battalion. 

Outsiders will never be able to imagine the im- 
mense amount of trouble and detail involved in 
the formation of this unique unit. I must say that 
the War Office, and the local Command at Plym- 
outh, gave me every possible assistance. Colonel 
King of the Military Secretary's Staff at the W. 
0. helped me through many a difficulty in getting 
Jewish officers brought back from France. Col- 
onel Graham also of the War Office came to my 
assistance whenever he could possibly do so, while 
the late Military Secretary, General Sir Francis 
Davies, under whom I had served in Gallipoli, 
was kindness itself. General Hutchison, the Di- 
rector of Organization, was always a tower of 
strength, and the Jewish Battalions owe him a 
heavy debt. Lieut. Colonel Amery, M. P., and the 
late Sir Mark Sykes, M. P., also did what was in 
their power to make our thorny path smooth. 



CHAPTER V 

THE KOSHER PROBLEM 

THE only serious trouble we had in Plym- 
outh occurred over Kosher food. As most 
people probably know, Jewish food has to 
be killed and cooked in a certain way laid down 
in Jewish law, and it is then known as kosher, 
i.e., proper. This was, of course, quite new to the 
military authorities, and the Army being a very 
conservative machine, and at times a very stub- 
born one, they failed to see the necessity of pro- 
viding special food for the Jewish troops — a curi- 
ous state of mentality, considering the care taken 
with the food of our Moslem soldiers. I have a 
fairly shrewd idea that all the blame for the trou- 
ble we were put to in this matter must not rest al- 
together on the shoulders of the Army officials, 
for I strongly suspect that our Jewish * ^friends'' 
the enemy, who were so anxious to destroy the 
Jewishness of the Regiment, had their fingers in 
this Kosher pie! 

Now I felt very strongly that unless the Jewish 
Battalion was treated as such, and all its wants, 
both physical and spiritual, catered for in a truly 
Jewish way, this new unit would be an absolute 
failure, for I could only hope to appeal to them as 

28 



The Kosher Problem 29 

Jews, and it could hardly be expected that there 
would be any response to this appeal if I coun- 
tenanced such an outrage on their religious sus- 
ceptibilities as forcing them to eat unlawful food. 
I made such a point of this that I was at length 
summoned to the War Office by the Adjutant Gen- 
eral, Sir Nevil Macready, who informed me that 
I was to carry on as if I had an ordinary British 
Battalion, and that there was to be no humbug 
about Kosher food, or Saturday Sabbaths, or any 
other such nonsense. I replied very respectfully 
but very firmly that if this was to be the attitude 
taken up by the War Office, it would be impossible 
to make the Battalion a success, for the only way 
to make good Jewish soldiers of the men was by 
first of all treating them as good Jews; if they 
were not to be treated as Jews, then I should re- 
quest to be relieved of my command. 

Accordingly, as soon as I returned to Plymouth, 
I forwarded my resignation, but the G. 0. C. 
Southern Command returned it to me for recon- 
sideration. In the meantime a telegram was re- 
ceived from the War Office to say that the Kosher 
food would be granted, and Saturday would be 
kept as the Sabbath. After this things went 
smoothly; Sir Nevil Macready readily lent us his 
ear when I put up an S. 0. S., and as a matter of 
fact he became one of our staunchest friends. 

I was more than gratified to receive, a few days 
later, the following ** Kosher '* charter from the 
War Office — a charter which helped us enormously 
all through our service, not only in England but 



30 With the Judeans in Palestine 

also when we got amongst the Philistines in Pal- 
estine. 

*'Sept. 14, 1917. 
''20— Gen. No. 4425 (A. G. 2a). 

''Sir: 

"With reference to Army Council Instructions 1415 
of the 12th Sept., 1917, relating to the formation of Bat- 
talions for the reception of Friendly Alien Jews, I am 
commanded by the Army Council to inform you that, as 
far as the Military exigencies permit, Saturday should 
be allowed for their day of rest instead of Sunday. 

"Arrangements will be made for the provision of 
Kosher food when possible. 

'*! am, etc., 
(Signed) "B. B. Cubitt. 
"To The General Officer 
Commanding in Chief, 
Southern Command. 

"0. C. 38th Bn. Royal Fusiliers, 
"Forwarded for information. 
* ' Devonport 
21. 9. 17. 

(Signed) "E. Montagu, Colonel, A. A. & Q. M. G.'' 

Before we sailed for the front, General Mac- 
ready did us the honour of coming all the way 
from London, traveling throughout the night, to 
pay us a friendly visit, without any of the pomp or 
circumstance of war, and he was so impressed 
by what he saw of the soldierly bearing of the 
men that, from that day until the day he left 
office, no reasonable request from the Jewish Bat- 
talion was ever refused. 

I had a final interview with General Macready 
at the War Office before setting? out for Palestine, 



The Kosher Problem 31 

when he told me in the presence of Major General 
Hutchison, Director of Organisation, that the ob- 
ject he aimed at was the formation of a complete 
Jewish Brigade, and that he was recommending 
General Allenby to commence that formation as 
soon as two complete Jewish Battalions arrived 
in Egypt. 

Of course this was very welcome news to me, 
because it would mean all the difference in the 
world to our welfare and comfort if we formed our 
own Brigade. It would mean that the Brigade 
would have its own Commander, who would be 
listened to when he represented Jewish things to 
higher authority. It would mean direct access to 
the Divisional General, to Ordnance, to supplies, 
and the hundred and one things which go to make 
up the efficiency, and cater for the comfort, of 
each unit of the Brigade. 

No worse fate can befall any Battalion than to 
be left out by itself in the cold, merely ^^ attached *' 
to a Brigade or a Division, as the case may be. It 
is nobody's child and everybody uses it for fa- 
tigues, and every other kind of dirty work which 
is hateful to a soldier. It can be imagined, there- 
fore, how grateful I was to General Macready for 
promising a Jewish Brigade, for I knew that such 
a formation would make all the difference in the 
world to the success of the Jewish cause as a 
whole and what was of great importance, to the 
good name of the Jewish soldier. 



CHAPTEE VI 

WE SET OUT FOR PALESTINE 

TOWAKDS the end of January, 1918, we were 
notified that the 38th Battalion was to pro- 
ceed on active service to Palestine. This 
news was received with great joy by all ranks, and 
every man was granted ten days ' leave to go home 
and bid farewell to his family. Of course our 
pessimistic friends took every opportunity of mal- 
igning the Jew from Eussia, and said that the 
men would desert, and we should never see a 
tenth of them again. I, however, felt otherwise, 
and had no anxiety about their return. Nor was 
I disappointed, for when the final roll-call was 
made there were not so very many absentees, cer- 
tainly no more than there would have been from 
an ordinary British Battalion, so here again our 
enemies were confounded and disappointed, for 
they had hoped for a different result. 

The Battalion was ordered to concentrate at 
Southampton for embarkation on February 5th. 
Two days before this date Sir Nevil Macready or- 
dered half the Battalion to come to London, to 
march through the City and East End, before pro- 
ceeding to Southampton. This march of Jewish 
soldiers, unique in English military history, 



We Set Out for Palestine 33 

proved a brilliant success. The men were quar- 
tered in the Tower for the night, and on the mom> 
ing of February 4th started from this historic 
spot, in full kit and with bayonets fixed, preceded 
by the band of the Coldstream Guards. The blue 
and white Jewish flag as well as the Union Jack 
was carried proudly through the city amid cheer- 
ing crowds. At the Mansion House the Lord 
Mayor (who had granted us the privilege of 
marching through the City with fixed bayonets), 
took the salute, and Sir Nevil Macready was also 
present to see us march past. 

As we approached the Mile End Eoad the scenes 
of enthusiasm redoubled, and London's Ghetto 
fairly rocked with military fervour and roared its 
welcome to its own. Jewish banners were hung 
out everywhere, and it certainly was a scene un- 
paralleled in the history of any previous British 
battalion. Jabotinsky (who had that day been 
gazetted to a Lieutenancy in the Battalion), must 
have rejoiced to see the fruit of all his efforts. 
After a reception by the Mayor of Stepney, the 
march was resumed to Camperdown House, where 
the men were inspected by Sir Francis Lloyd, 
G. 0. C, London District. He complimented them 
on their smart and soldierly appearance, and made 
quite an impressive speech, reminding them of 
the heroism and soldierly qualities of their fore- 
fathers, and concluded by saying that he was sure 
this modern Battalion of Jews now before him 
would be no whit behind their forbears in cov- 
ering themselves with military glory. 



34 With the Judeans in Palestine 

An excellent lunch was provided for tlie men in 
Camperdown House, where speeches were de- 
livered by the Chief Kabbi, the Mayor of Step- 
ney, Mr. Kiley, M. P., Mr. Joseph Cowen (the 
Chairman), and other friends of the Battalion. 

Afterwards the troops proceeded, amid more 
cheering, to Waterloo, where, before they en- 
trained for Southampton, they were presented by 
Captain Fredman with a Scroll of the Law. My 
new Adjutant, Captain Leadley, who came to take 
the place vacated by Captain Neill on promotion 
to Major, had only just joined us on the morning 
of our march. He was much surprised at the first 
regimental duty he was called upon to perform, 
which was to take charge on behalf of the Bat- 
talion, of the Scroll of the Law. The excellent 
Jewish Padre who had just been posted to us, and 
whose duty this should have been, was with the 
remainder of the troops at Plymouth. 

I was very favourably impressed by Capt. 
Leadley from the first moment I saw him, and dur- 
ing the whole time he remained with the Bat- 
talion I never had cause to change my opinion. 
He was a splendid Adjutant, and, in my opinion, 
was capable of filling a much higher position on 
the Army Staff. 

When the half Battalion reached Southampton, 
it joined forces with the other half, which had 
been brought to that place from Plymouth by 
Major Eipley, who was now Second in Command, 
in place of Major MacDermot, who remained be- 
hind with the Depot. The whole Battalion pro- 



We Set Out for Palestine " 35 

ceeded to embark on the little steamship Antrim 
on February 5th. 

Just as Captain Salaman was about to go on 
board, he was confronted by another Medical Of- 
ficer, Captain Halden Davis, E. A. M. C, who, at 
the last moment, was ordered by the War Office 
to proceed with us instead of Captain Salaman. 
I knew nothing about this, and was naturally loth 
to lose Captain Salaman, while he, on his part, was 
furious at the idea of being left behind. However, 
there was no help for it, so back he had to go to 
Plymouth. I think a certain number of the shirk- 
ers in the Battalion may have been pleased to see 
him go, for he stood no nonsense from gentlemen 
of this kidney. 

I had for some time been making strenuous ef- 
forts to obtain the services of the Rev. L. A. Falk, 
the Acting Jewish Chaplain at Plymouth, as our 
spiritual guide, and luckily I was successful, for 
at the last moment all difficulties were surmounted, 
and he joined us as we embarked. I had had 
many warnings from people who ought to have 
known better that he was not a suitable man for 
the post, but I had seen him and judged for my- 
self, and I felt sure that he would suit my Jews 
from Russia much better than a Rabbi chosen 
because he was a Jew from England. His work 
and his example to others, during the whole time 
he served with us, were beyond all praise, and I 
often felt very glad, when he was put to the test 
of his manhood, that I had not listened to the 
voice of the croaker in England. 



36 " With the Judeans in Palestine 

The embarkation of the Battalion was complete 
by five p. M., on February 5th, and after dark 
we steamed out of the harbour and made for Cher- 
bourg. It is fortunate that we escaped enemy sub- 
marines, for the little Antrim was packed to its 
utmost limits, not only with the Jewish Battalion, 
but also with other troops. 

We were kept at the British Rest Camp at Cher- 
bourg until the 7th, and then entrained for St. 
Germain, near Lyons, where we rested from the 
9th to the 10th. From here we went to Taranto, 
via the beautiful French and Italian Eiviera. The 
arrangements throughout the journey for feed- 
ing the men and giving them hot tea, etc., were 
not perfect, but on the whole we did not fare 
badly. 

We arrived at Faenza on the 13th, and we will 
always cherish a kindly remembrance of this well 
arranged rest camp, and of the Staff in charge 
there. The greatest credit is due to the Com- 
mandant, Colonel Scott Harden, for having made 
a veritable garden in the wilderness, and arranged 
everything for the comfort and well-being of the 
tired and travel-stained soldier passing through 
his capable hands. The only drawback was that 
my unsophisticated boys were no match for the 
Scotsmen whom they met in the sergeant's mess! 
However that may be, we all came away with the 
liveliest feeling of gratitude towards our kindly 
hosts, who had given us a real good time at 
Faenza. 

During our halt at this delightful camp we gave 



We Set Out for Palestine 37 

a concert and also a boxing exhibition to the 
Italian officers of the garrison, both of which were 
much appreciated. The Italian G. 0. C, with all 
his Staff, also came, and was highly interested in 
the exhibition. As a special compliment to us, be- 
cause we were the first complete British Battalion 
to go through Italy, he reveiwed us in front of the 
Town Hall on our march to the station at ten 
o^clock at night. 

From Faenza we continued our journey to Tar- 
auto, and on the way spent a few pleasant hours 
at Brindisi. I walked along the docks, and from 
the number of naval vessels of all types moored 
there, I realized that there could not be many 
Italian warships at sea; but it must be remem- 
bered that the Mediterranean was at this time in- 
fested with German and Austrian submarines, so 
that our allies must not be blamed if they were 
taking as few chances as possible with their ships 
of war. I remember asking myself the question, 
what is the use of a ship of war that is afraid to 
show itself on the open seal 

As we ran along the shores of the Adriatic, we 
were all wondering whether an Austrian war ves- 
sel would not suddenly dash up and blow us and 
our train to pieces, but wherever the Austrian 
fleet may have been that day, fortunately for us 
it was not cruising on the Adriatic coast of Italy, 
and we reached Taranto on the 16th. Thieving 
from the trains running through Southern Italy 
was a pleasant pastime for the natives, but we 
were fortunate in that we lost but little. 



38 With the Judeans in Palestine 

We had a couple of accidents during our long 
railway journey which might, without luck, have 
proved disastrous. Just before we reached Mar- 
seilles a coupling about the middle of the train 
parted, and the rear carriages were left standing 
on the line. Fortunately, however, this was discov- 
ered before anything serious occurred, and a 
relief engine brought the stranded portion along. 
The same thing happened on the Italian railway 
between Brindisi and Taranto, which delayed us 
for about eight hours. 

The behaviour of the men during the whole 
long journey of nine days was exemplary, and I 
wired a message to this effect to the War Office, 
for, as Russia was just out of the war, there was 
some anxiety in England as to how Russian sub- 
jects in the British Army would behave on hear- 
ing the news. As a matter of fact, recruiting of 
Russian Jews in England had been stopped after 
we left Southampton, and many of the men natu- 
rally questioned the fairness of the authorities in 
freeing slackers or late comers, while retaining 
those who had promptly answered the call. I 
cabled this point of view to the Adjutant- 
General on reaching Tarato, and received a 
reply that all such matters could be settled in 
Egypt. 

We remained basking in the sunshine of South- 
ern Italy for over a week. I met here an old 
friend of mine. Captain Wake, who had been badly 
wounded in one of our little wars on the East 
African coast many years ago. Although minus 



We Set Out for Palestine 39 

a leg, he was still gallantly doinjj his bit for 
England. 

We were encamped at Camino, a few miles from 
Taranto, and our strength at this time was thirty- 
one officers and roughly nine hundred other ranks. 
Two officers and about seventy N. C. O.'s and men 
sailed on another boat from Marseilles, with the 
horses, mules, and wagons, under the command of 
Captain Pulian, M. C. 

While we were at Taranto the Eev. L. A. Falk 
and I, accompanied by Jabotinsky, searched for 
and eventually found a suitable Ark in which to 
place the Scroll of the Law. At the close of our 
last Sabbath service before we embarked, I ad- 
dressed the men, and, pointing to the Ark, told 
them that while it was with us we need have no 
fear, that neither submarine nor storm would 
trouble us, and therefore that their minds might 
be easy on shipboard. 

We embarked on the Leasoe Castle at nine a. m., 
on the 25th, steamed out of the harbour in the 
afternoon, under the escort of three Japanese 
destroyers, and arrived safely in Alexandria on 
February 28th, never having seen a submarine, or 
even a ripple, on the sea throughout the voyage. 
Owing to this piece of good luck my reputation as 
a prophet stood high ! It is a curious fact that on 
her next voyage the Leasoe Castle was torpedoed 
«nd sunk. 



CHAPTEE VII 

BACK IN THE LAND OF BONDAGE 

WHEN we landed at Alexandria on March 
1st, the Battalion was invited by the 
Jewish community, headed by the Grand 
Eabbi, to commemorate its safe arrival in Egypt 
by attending a special service in the beautiful 
temple in the Street of the Prophet Daniel. The 
men got a splendid reception from the Alexan- 
drians as they marched to the synagogue, where 
a most impressive service was held, the Grand 
Eabbi giving the soldiers a special benediction in 
the grand old language of the Prophets. 

After the service refreshments were served by 
a number of Jewish ladies, who could hardly in- 
deed believe that they were waiting upon a Batta- 
lion, composed of men of their own race, who were 
now serving as Jewish soldiers under the flag of 
England. Their faces glowed with joy at the 
thought that a complete Jewish unit was now 
before their eyes, and was on its way to assist in 
releasing the land of their forefathers from the 
hand of the Turkish oppressor. 

It was a great pleasure to meet again those 
good people who had helped me so whole-heart- 
edly in looking after the wives and dependents 

40 



I 



ictctc tit tile Lav:d of Bonddge 4it 

6f my Zion Mule Corps men, who had served in 
Gallipoli in 1915. Perhaps none worked more 
zealously, or gave more unselfish devotion to these 
poor and miserable refugees, than the Baroness 
Eosette de Menasce. No matter what I wanted 
done in the way of help or assistance for the im- 
poverished dependents, I could always rely on 
this beautiful and charitable lady to see it 
through. 

After lunch was over we marched to the station 
and entrained for Helmieh, a village a few miles 
outside Cairo, where the Battalion was to be en- 
camped, while completing its training for the 
front. On arrival there we found awaiting us 
Captain Julian with the transport section com- 
plete, which had safely arrived a couple of days 
previously. 

At Cairo we were met by an emissary from 
Palestine, who informed us that there was a great 
Jewish volunteer movement on foot in Judea, and 
that hundreds of young men were eager to join 
the Army, and scores of Jewish ladies were 
anxious to give their services as nurses, or even 
as transport drivers. This was cheering news — 
news which I naturally thought would prove most 
welcome to the Commander-in-Chief of the 
E. E. F. 

The leading Jewish citizens of Cairo, not to be 
outdone by their brethren of Alexandria, arranged 
with the authorities, soon after our arrival, that 
we should attend a religious service in the chief 
synagogue ; the Battalion had a wonderful recep- 



42 With the Judeans in Palestine 

tion as it marched througli the city, which was 
thronged with cheering crowds. The High Com- 
missioner General, Sir Francis Reginald Wingate, 
took the salute as the men marched past the Eesi- 
dency, and evinced the greatest and most friendly 
interest in this Jewish unit and the Jewish move- 
ment generally. 

I must mention here that the Battalion was 
much indebted to Mr. Maurice Gattegno of Cairo 
for the immense amount of trouble he took in 
everything which could be helpful, and the gen- 
erous way in which he contributed to all our com- 
forts. He had an able helper in his sister-in-law, 
Miss Viterbo (now Mrs. Hopkin) who was untir- 
ing in her efforts on the men's behalf. Mr. 
Franco and Mr. Cohen of Alexandria were also 
ardent supporters of the Battalion. 

The Jews who have made Egypt their home are 
a kindly, hospitable people, and we owe them a 
debt of gratitude for the way they received us 
and the interest they took in our welfare. The 
Land of the Pharaohs is supposed to eat away the 
soul of a people, and send them after strange 
gods, but, in my intercourse with the Jews of 
Egypt, I found that there are to-day many devout 
men, who work, and pray, and give lavishly of 
their substance, to the end that Israel may be 
restored. 

The usual infantry training was carried out at 
Helmieh. Drill, physical training, bayonet fight- 
ing, bombing, marching, musketry, and signaling 
went on from morning until night, and the men 




(1) THE CITADEL-^CAIRO (See p. 42). (2) A STT^EET IX OATRO (Sec p. 42). 



Bach In the Land of Bondage 43 

made excellent progress; in fact, within a few 
weeks after our arrival in Egypt, no one would 
have recognized in these bronzed and well-set-up 
men, who walked about with a conscious look of 
pride in themselves and their Battalion, the pale, 
pinched, miserable-looking conscripts who joined 
up at Plymouth. 

Soon after our arrival in Egypt I sent the 
following letter to the Commander-in-Chief: 

"Cairo, March 5, 1918. 
**My Dear General: 

''No doubt you have heard of the arrival of the Jew- 
ish Battalion in Egypt. I am very anxious to see you in 
connection with the formation of a Jewish Brigade, 
about which the War Office gave me to understand they 
had made some communication to you. 

' ' First of all there will be the position of the Russians 
to discuss, as I have some hundreds of these with me. 
They are at present performing their duties cheerfully 
and well, and I have no fault to find with their attitude ; 
but as Russia has signed a separate peace, a new situa- 
tion may arise which I would like to be ready to meet. 
There are already two more Jewish Battalions formed 
in England, and one of these, the 39th, was under orders 
to embark when I left Plymouth. Presumably it will 
arrive in Egypt soon. I hear of other Battalions for 
service with the Jewish Brigade being formed in New- 
York; and the Adjutant General informed me that it 
was probable that the French authorities would trans- 
fer the Polish Jews now serving in France to this Bri- 
gade. I am told that there are several hundred young 
Jews waiting to enlist in Palestine. There are a number 
more in Cairo and Alexandria. 

''With your permission I would gladly commence re- 
cruiting in these areas, and form a new Battalion here. 
For the purpose of enlisting the Palestine volunteers, it 



44 With the Judeans in Palestine 

would require a recruiting party to make a trip round 
the Jewish colonies to collect the recruits. I have an 
ideal party for such a duty in my present Battalion, all 
speaking Hebrew, headed by an officer who knows Pales- 
tine. With your approval I would send this party as 
soon as possible on the tour. Recruiting offices should 
also be opened in Cairo and Alexandria, where I have 
promises of every support from the Jewish communities 
of these cities. 

"In England the Adjutant-General allowed transfers 
of Jewish Officers, N. C. O.'s and men. I hope you will 
be equally indulgent to those who wish to join me from 
other units now under your command. 

*'I am strongly of the opinion that the training ground 
of the Jewish Brigade should be in Judea itself, firstly 
for its great moral effect on the men ; secondly, the cli- 
mate of Cairo during the training months of March and 
April will make it practically impossible to do much sat- 
isfactory work here. I am convinced that twice the re- 
sults could be obtained in such a place as Jaffa, or other 
suitable colony, while the health of the troops would 
greatly benefit by the cooler climate. It would also enor- 
mously stimulate recruiting in Palestine. 

' ' I know that the Home Government attach the great- 
est importance to the moral effect of this Jewish Brigade 
on the outer world of Jewry — not only in allied and 
neutral, but also in enemy countries — and such full ef- 
fect can only be obtained by placing the Brigade in Pales- 
tine at the earliest possible moment. 

"There are some other points which I would like to 
bring to your notice, but I will not add to the length of 
this letter by mentioning them now. 

"I should, however, be very glad to see you and dis- 
cuss these matters generally with you, and hope you will 
send instructions for me to report at your Headquarters 
at a nearly date. 

"Yours sincerely, 

(Signed) "J. H. Patterson.'" 



Bach In the Land of Bondage 45 

I got a reply from Major General Louis Jean 
Bols, the Chief of Staff, asking me to come to 
G. H. Q., but at the same time informing me that 
General Allenby was not in favour of my sugges- 
tion. This was somewhat of a surprise to me, for 
I thought that a Jewish legion of, say, twenty-five 
thousand men, would have been most acceptable 
on the Palestine front, and, had General Allenby 
shown himself at all favourable to the idea of a 
Jewish legion, it would at that time have been an 
easy task to have obtained any number of men, 
from America and elsewhere, to fight in Palestine. 
Nothing daunted, however, I proceeded to 
G. H. Q., where I had an interview with the Com- 
mander-in-Chief, who told me quite frankly that 
he was not in sympathy with the War OiSce pol- 
icy in sending this Jewish Battalion to Palestine, 
and that he did not want any further addition 
such as I suggested to his forces. At a subse- 
quent interview which I had with his Chief of 
Staff, I gathered that I need expect but little 
sympathy for my Battalion, as Major General 
Louis Jean Bols told me quite plainly that he was 
not favourably disposed towards Jewish aspira- 
tions. 

This anti-Jewish policy of General Allenby and 
his Chief of Staff came as a shock to me, for I 
knew that it was the settled intention of H. M.'s 
Government to support these Jewish Battalions, 
and the Jewish claim to Palestine, and I had been 
expecting quite a different reception for my pro- 
posals from the E. E. F. authorities from that 



46 With the Judeans in Palestine 

which they received. I found, to my amazement, 
that the policy adopted by the Staff towards this 
Jewish Battalion, and the Jewish problem gener- 
ally, ran counter to the declared policy of the 
Home Government. Alas, it seemed that another 
Pharaoh had arisen who knew not Joseph! and 
once again we would be expected to make bricks 
without straw, and become hewers of wood and 
drawers of water. Instead of this new Unit being 
helped and encouraged, we were on the contrary, 
throughout our service in the E. E. F. made to 
feel that we were merely Ishmaelites, with every 
hand uplifted against us. 

I knew full well what our fate would be once the 
policy of G. H. Q. on this Jewish question was 
known, and, as I will show later, the underlings 
of the Staff did not fail to play up to the attitude 
of the higher command. I hoped, however, that 
the Battalion would do such good work that we 
would eventually overcome all prejudices. We 
looked for no favours, and only wanted to be 
treated as a Battalion ^'all ouf to do its duty. 

The Commander-in-Chief was, of course, aware 
by this time of the Arab pretensions to Syria, and 
as his mind was, no doubt, wholly centred on his 
own war theatre, he was naturally anxious to 
placate the Arab at all costs. The Arab was at his 
door, giving him certain assistance by harrying 
the Turks to the east of the Jordan, and the fact 
that the Hedjaz Army was fighting on our side 
kept Bedouins and other marauders from inter- 
fering with our lines of communication — no small 



Back In the Land of Bondage 47 

matter in Palestine and Syria. The intrusion of 
the Jew was a disturbing factor to his policy, 
and was therefore resented. 

The local military authorities, however, seemed 
oblivious of the fact that there was a much bigger 
question involved than that which loomed so 
large in their eyes on the Palestine horizon. 
There was England's world policy to be consid- 
ered, and her statesmen had already decided that 
it was very much in her interests to win to her 
side Jewish help and sympathy the world over. 
Let no one underestimate what that help meant to 
the Allies during the Great War. The Jewish ele- 
ment, owing to the Balfour Declaration, came sol- 
idly to our side in every land, and in America 
greatly helped to counter the German propaganda 
which was fast gripping hold of the United States. 
It was unfortunate that this farsighted and wise 
policy of our imperial statesmen was never 
grasped by their local agents in Palestine. In the 
E. E. F., so far as one on the spot could judge, but 
scant heed was paid to any policy unless it bore on 
local affairs, and coincided with the point of view 
held by G. H. Q. and the satellites revolving 
round it. 

If only a little wise diplomacy had been em- 
ployed, I am strongly of the opinion that it would 
have been quite practicable for the local authori- 
ties to have treated the Jewish problem fairly 
and on the lines of the Balfour Declaration, and 
at the same time have retained the Arabs on our 
side. After all, the Arabs were as much inter- 



48 With the Judeans in Palestine 

ested in the downfall of the Turk as we were our- 
selves, and, to his honour be it said, the Emir 
Feisal never showed himself hostile to Jewish 
aspirations. On the contrary, he worked hand in 
hand with Dr. Weizmann for the common good of 
both peoples. 

The Jew and the Arab are necessary to each 
other in the Near East, and if England wishes to 
retain her Empire it is vital to her interests to 
keep friendly with both. I am afraid that at the 
moment we are at a discount to the East of Suez. 
During the stress of war certain promises were 
made to the Arabs which appear difficult to re- 
deem, mainly due to the policy of France in Syria. 
I admire France immensely, and that is why I 
so much deplore her imperialistic aims beyond the 
Lebanons. She is sowing a rich crop of troubles 
for herself in these regions, and I am certain that 
ere long we shall see her reaping a bitter harvest. 
I met a much travelled French officer in Cairo, 
who had just relinquished an administrative post 
in Beyrout, and he told me that, if his Government 
was wise, it would clear out of Syria, where it 
would have nothing but trouble for generations to 
come. '*If only,'' he went on, '^England would 
give us a bit of Africa, and take Syria instead, 
France would make a good bargain.'' 

We, however, do not want Syria, but we do 
want to see a strong and settled Arab state in 
these strictly Arab regions, and I sincerely hope 
that our statesmen will be wise enough, and ener- 
getic enough to bring about such a desirable 



Back In the Land of Bondage 49 

consiimmatioii. If we permit the Bolshevists 
and Turks to oust us from our friendship with the 
Jews and Arabs, and with King Hussein and his 
son, the Emir Feisal, now the king of Irak, upon 
whom we have alternately blown hot and cold, just 
as it pleased France to pipe the tune, then we shall 
witness the beginning of the end of our power and 
prestige in the Orient. 

My trip to G. H. Q. was not quite in vain, for 
just before we left Egypt, sanction was given to 
enlist Palestinian volunteers. I sent to Judea a 
specially trained recruiting party, all fluent He- 
brew speakers, under the command of Lieutenant 
Lipsey, to report to Major James de Eothschild 
of the 39th Battalion, who was the officer ap- 
pointed to supervise this work in Egypt and Pal- 
estine. The response to Major de Eothschild 's 
appeal was enthusiastic — in fact his chief trouble 
was to keep out gray-beards and unfledged youths, 
so eager were all to join up. Lieutenant Lipsey 
had some difficulty in keeping his end up in Jeru- 
salem, where there were many anti-Zionists, but 
finally he worsted his opponents and emerged tri- 
umphant with nearly 1,000 recruits. 

The following is a translation of the Hebrew 
recruiting poster sent throughout Palestine at 
this time: 

''HEAR, ISRAEL! 

''Hear! What does your heart prompt you to do? 
Shall we not reclaim our heritage, and establish its pos- 
session in the eyes of the world ? 

"Hear! What does your reason say to you? The 



50 With the Judeans in Palestine 

British are fighting here before our eyes, and shall we 
remain in our houses until they return from the battle 
to give us our country which they have redeemed with 
their blood ? 

' ' Hearken ! What do your honour and conscience dic- 
tate? Is it possible for us to accept from the hands of 
our righteous redeemers such an offering of blood? 
Shall not we, too, together with them, offer our lives for 
our country ? 

''Hear, Israel ! The blood of our heroic forefathers, 
the blood of the British who fight for us this day, and 
the blood of the martyrs cry unto us from this sacred 
ground: Enlist! Enlist! 

''Shoulder to shoulder, together with our saviours, to 
the battle let us go. And salvation is with the Lord. Be 
strong ! ' ' 




(1) SACBED SHKINE AND TEIVIPLES OF 
ANTIQUITY AT JEBUSALEM (See p. 51). 



(2) AMIDST THE PALMS NEAR HELMICH 
(See p. 41). 




OUR CAMP AT UNUN SUFFAH. 

Left to Right: Capt. Julian, M. C. CoL Patterson, D. S. O., Capt, Leadley, M. C. 

Major Neill, D. S. O. 

(See p. 60) 



I 




(1) OUE FIRST SABBATH SEBVICE IN PALESTINE, AT SURAFEXO (See p. 60). 
(2) -ENNISKILLING ROAD" (See p. 70). (3) IN THE HILLS OF SAMARIA 
(See p. 67). (4) GAZA. THE SCENE OF SAMSON'S EXPLOITS (See p. 5S). 



CHAPTER VIII 

THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER 

AT this time G. H. Q. was situated at a place 
called Bir Salem (the Well of Peace), ten 
miles to the east of Jaffa, and as, after my 
interview, I had the whole day before me, I bor- 
rowed a motor car and paid a flying visit to Jeru- 
salem, some thirty miles away to the east- 
ward. I will not attempt to describe here what I 
felt as I approached the Holy City, along the 
winding road which leads up to it through the 
rocky Judean mountains. I entered the old walled 
city through the Jaffa Gate, and was soon buried 
in its gloomy bazaars and labyrinthine passages, 
seeking out the old historic spots which I have 
reverenced from the days of my youth. I had but 
a few hours for my explorations, but they were 
about the busiest hours I ever spent, and although 
I have paid many visits to Jerusalem since that 
date, I have not forgotten the glamour thrown 
over me by my first visit to these sacred shrines 
and temples of antiquity. I left Jerusalem at 
three in the afternoon and was back in my camp 
at Helmieh within twenty-four hours. 

The Battalion was attached to the School of 
Instruction at Zeitoun, close to Helmieh, which 

61 



52 With the Judeans in Palestine 

was an unfortunate arrangement, for our require- 
ments were not attended to, and we were often 
kept idle for long- periods, owing to want of equip- 
ment such as rifles, to enable the men to fire their 
musketry course. There was no excuse for this, 
for there was plenty of equipment of all kinds in 
the Ordnance Stores at Cairo. It was the fault 
of the vicious system of having to get everything 
we wanted through the School of Instruction, 
whose staff did not seem to think that our require- 
ments needed speeding up. It was not until 
Brigadier-General A. B. Robertson assumed com- 
mand of the school that matters were mended, for 
this officer took a very friendly interest in us, and 
did everything in his power to help us along. 

The Feast of the Passover was celebrated dur- 
ing our stay at Helmieh. Thus history was re- 
peating itself in the Land of Bondage in a Jew- 
ish military camp, after a lapse of over three 
thousand years from the date of the original 
feast. 

I had considerable trouble with the authorities 
in the matter of providing unleavened bread. 
However, we surmounted all difficulties, and had 
an exceedingly jovial first night, helped thereto by 
the excellent Palestinian wine which we received 
from Mr. Gluskin, the head of the celebrated wine 
press of Richon le Zion, near Jaffa. The unleav- 
ened bread for the Battalion, during the eight 
days of the Feast, cost somewhat more than the 
ordinary ration would have done, so I requested 
that the excess should be paid for out of Army 



The Feast of the Passover 53 

Funds. This was refused by the local command 
in Egypt, so I went to the H. Q. office, where I saw 
a Jewish Staff Officer, and told him I had come 
to get this matter adjusted. He said that, as a 
matter of fact, he had decided against us him- 
self. I told him that I considered his judgment 
unfair, because the Battalion was a Jewish Bat- 
talion, and the Army Council had already prom- 
ised Kosher food whenever it was possible to ob- 
tain it, and it would have been a deadly insult to 
have forced ordinary bread upon the men during 
Passover. I therefore said that I would appeal 
against his decision to a higher authority. He 
replied, ^'This will do you no good, for you will 
get the same reply from G. H. Q.'^ He was mis- 
taken, for I found the Gentile, on this particular 
occasion, more sympathetic than the Jew, and the 
extra amount was paid by order of the Q. M. G., 
Sir Walter Campbell. 

During our stay at this camp we were reviewed 
by H. E. H. the Duke of Connaught, and, towards 
the end of May, by the Commander-in-Chief, Gen- 
eral Allenby. Both these officers expressed them- 
selves as pleased with the smart soldierly appear- 
ance and steadiness of the men, the Duke of Con- 
naught remarking that ^^the men all appeared to 
be triers.'' 

Towards the close of our training at Helmieh, 
and just as I was beginning to congratulate my- 
self that the Battalion was shaping well, and 
would soon be fit for the front, I was staggered 
by the receipt of a letter from G, H. Q., which 



54 With the Judeans in Palestine 

aimed a deadly blow at our very existence. It 
was nothing less than the proposal to break up 
the Battalion and allow the men to join Labour 
Units! This was undoubtedly a clever move on 
the part of the Staff to rid themselves of the 
Jewish problem and, at the same time, bring the 
derision of the world upon the Jew. It put me 
in a very difficult position, for 1 felt very keenly 
that, if the Battalion were disbanded and turned 
over to Labour Units, it would throw an indelible 
stigma upon Jewry. I felt that it was my duty 
to protect the Battalion from the disgrace that 
would attach to it if it could be said that the 
only Jewish Unit raised for war purposes had 
refused to fight — even for Palestine. 

I therefore ordered a parade of the men by 
companies, got the officers to point out to the men 
their sacred duty, and gave instructions for any 
malcontents to be sent before me for a final ap- 
peal. Only twelve men were found who wished 
to join a Labour Unit, and to these twelve (I 
thought the number appropriate, as it was one 
for each tribe) I made a strong personal appeal. 
After I had pointed out, in the best language at 
my command, what a stigma they were placing on 
the Battalion, and on their fellow Jews through- 
out the world, ten saw the errors of their ways, 
and cheerfully said they wished to do their duty 
as soldiers, and continue serving with the Batta- 
lion, and I am glad to be able to place on record 
that these ten did very well afterwards in the 
field, one of them making the supreme sacrifice. 



The Feast of the Passover 55 

Two only remained obdurate to all appeals, and 
insisted on being posted to a Labour Unit, and I 
think Jewry should remember them to all time. 
Their names and numbers, and the evil which they 
did, are recorded in the chronicles of the Batta- 
lion. They were turned out of the camp and 
drafted to a Labour Unit at a moment's notice, 
just as if they had been lepers. 

Towards the end of April, 1918, we were de- 
lighted to welcome the 39th Battalion from Eng- 
land, under the command of Lieut. Colonel Mar- 
golin, D. S. 0., and with them as M. 0., I was 
glad to see Captain B. Salaman. We gave the 
new arrivals a very hearty welcome, the band of 
the 38th Battalion playing them into camp amid 
great enthusiasm. There was much friendly riv- 
alry between these Jewish Battalions, and hon- 
ours were about easy in our sporting competi- 
tions. We gave one or two ** At Homes,'' to which 
all Cairo seemed to flock, and I am sure our good 
Cairene friends were favourably impressed with 
what they saw of the Jewish Battalions at work 
and play. 

Just about this time we were visited at Helmieh 
by Dr. Weizmann, Mr. Joseph Cowen, and Mr. 
Aaronson. All three gave addresses to the men. 
Mr. Aaronson moved his audience to fury by 
describing graphically the torture which the Turks 
had inflicted on his aged father and young sister 
in Palestine, because they had dared to help Eng- 
land. Mr. Aaronson lived to see his home land 
free from the Turk, but soon afterwards lost his 



56 With the Judeans in Palestine 

life in an aeroplane disaster, while crossing from 
England to France. 

Dr. Weizmann has done much, and suffered 
much, since he addressed us on that peaceful eve- 
ning in the Egyptian desert. If he could have 
foreseen everything, I doubt if even his undaunted 
soul would have faced unblanched all the trials 
and tribulations which have fallen to his lot since 
he undertook the arduous task of leading his peo- 
ple back to the Land of Israel. His task has been, 
if anything, more arduous and more difficult than 
was that of the great Law-giver. The latter had 
only to surmount the obstinacy of one Pharaoh, 
while Dr. Weizmann had to overcome that of thou- 
sands — not a few of them being Jews ! What a pity 
it was that the modern leader had not the power to 
dispense a few of the plagues which Moses even- 
tually found so efficacious! It is a striking testi- 
monial to the genius of Dr. Weizmann that so 
much has already been accomplished towards the 
Eestoration; the fact that the Jewish people are 
now within sight of their heart's desire is, with- 
out doubt, mainly due to the patient, persistent, 
and able diplomacy of this brilliant leader. 

It must not be forgotten, however, that he was, 
at all times, and often in the teeth of bitter oppo- 
sition, given the ready help and sympathy of 
Mr. Llovd George and Mr. Balfour. 



CHAPTER IX 

WE SET OUT FOB THE FRONT 

BY the end of May our training was com- 
pleted, and on June 5th we left Egypt for 
Palestine getting a very hearty ^^ send-off 
from Colonel Margolin and the 39th Battalion. 

Before we set out I had the gratification of re- 
ceiving from General Robertson the following 
letter: 

"Savoy Hotel, Cairo, 4th June, 1918.. 
' ' Dear Colonel Patterson : 

' ' On the eve of your departure for the front I desire 
to wish you and the officers and men of the 38th Royal 
Fusiliers God-speed, and success in the task which you 
may be called upon to undertake in the future. 

''From what I have seen of your Battalion I know it 
will uphold the glorious traditions of the Regiment to 
which it has the honour to belong, and its career will be 
watched with interest and sympathy by its well-wishers in 
all parts of the world. 

''Personally I am proud to have been associated with 
the Battalion even for a short time. 

"Its well-known good behaviour must be a source of 
satisfaction to you, because that will provide a sound 
foundation on which to build a solid battle discipline,, 
while the progress it made in the training at Helmieh 
augurs well for its future efficiency. 
"Yours sincerely, 

(Signed) "A. B. Robertson. 
"38th Battn., Royal Fusiliers, E. E. F.'* 
"Lieut. Col. J. H. Patterson, D. S. O. 

m 



58 With the Judeans in Palestine 

The Battalion entrained smoothly and quickly 
at the railway siding close to our camp and we 
were soon rolling onward to realize our ideals and 
aspirations in the Promised Land. 

Our Chaplain, who was a man of insight and 
vision, arranged that our trumpets should sound, 
and that a short prayer should be said by the 
troops as they entered, for the first time, the 
ancient land of their Fathers. 

All through the night, as we sped across the 
Sinai Desert, seated in our open trucks, we could 
see the funnel of the engine belching forth a pillar 
of flame, and we were greatly reminded of the 
wanderings in this very desert, of the forefathers 
of these men, who in their night journeys were 
always guided by a pillar of fire. Nor did the 
simile cease as dawn broke, for then the pillar of 
flame turned into a cloud of smoke shot up into 
the still morning air. 

Soon after sunrise we passed Gaza, the scene of 
Samson's exploits and saw, in the distance, the 
hill to the top of which he carried the gates of the 
town. Gaza may be considered the bridgehead 
leading into or out of Egypt. In Biblical times it 
was always a thorn in the side of the Jews and 
they were never able to capture it. It was, how- 
ever, captured from the Philistines on various 
occasions, both by the Egyptians on their expedi- 
tions into Syria, and by the Syrians on their ex- 
peditions into Egypt. No army could afford to 
leave it uncaptured on their lines of communica- 
tion. It will be remembered that we ourselves 



We Set Out for the Front 59 

made two costly failures here in our first attempt 
to enter Palestine during the Great War. The 
third time, of course, we succeeded, and with the 
fall of Gaza the whole plain of Philistia was at 
our mercy. 

As we rolled onward, historical places cropped 
up every few miles and kept us spellbound with 
interest. Beersheba was away thirty miles to 
the east and we hoped in good time to see Dan; 
meanwhile the Shephelah downs ran parallel to 
us, ending up with Mount Gezer, where David won 
a victory over the Philistines. This hill was well 
known to every invading force that passed 
through Palestine and around its base the gallant 
dead of many nations have fallen. In the distance, 
like a cobalt mist, loomed the mountains of 
Ephraim and of Judea, while the ^^ utmost sea'* 
occasionally shimmered on our left. 

About noon we steamed through a grove of 
olives in Ludd (the ancient Lydda) where we 
detrained. It was one of the hottest days I have 
ever experienced, and our march to Surafend, 
under a blazing mid-day midsummer sun, loaded 
up as we were with full kit, was a severe test of 
the endurance of the men. 

Almost as soon as we reached our bivouac at 
Surafend, the Jewish colonists of Eichon-le-Zion, 
Jaffa, Eechoboth, and all the surrounding col- 
onies, came out in hundreds with flags and ban- 
ners, on foot, on horseback, and in chariots, to 
greet us, and show us how much they thought of 
their brethren who had come all the way from 



60 With the Judeans in Palestine 

England to help them to redeem their country. 
Amongst the Zionists from Jaffa and Eichon-le- 
Zion were many scores of both men and women 
who had already volunteered for service with the 
Army. It was an inspiring sight to see how these 
young men and women rode and managed their 
horses. No cowboy of the Western States of 
America could be more expert. It is quite evident 
that a new and free Jewish race is arising among 
the colonists of Palestine, for even the small chil- 
dren of eight and nine years of age can ride and 
manage horses with ease. 

We celebrated our first Sabbath in Palestine at 
Surafend, where special prayers for the occasion 
were recited, including one composed by the 
Haham Bashi of Egypt, Eabbi Simeon. Eichon- 
le-Zion, besides sending its quota of young men 
and women to greet us, sent us also three casks 
of choice Eichon wine, which in those thirsty days 
the Battalion much appreciated. We remained at 
Surafend for three days, and during our stay 
there, were inspected in our bivouac by General 
Allenby, who a.:rain expressed himself as well 
pleased with all he saw. Major James de Eoth- 
schild came over from Jaffa, where he was then 
doing recruiting duty, and gave us a God-speed as 
we left our pleasant surroundings at Surafend 
for our journey to the Front. 

We marched off at three o^clock on the after- 
noon of June 9, 1918, and reached El Kubab at 
8:15 the same evening. Personally I only went 
half way, for I was recalled to Cairo to preside at 



We Set Out for the Front 61 

a General Court Martial assembled there for the 
trial of three Eoyal Air Force officers who had 
been performing some unauthorised stunts. I re- 
joined the Battalion at Umm Suffah, a few miles 
short of the Turkish lines. While it was at this 
place there was an air raid on our lines, but no 
damage was done. The Battalion went from El 
Kubab to Beit Nuba. They left on the 11th, and 
reached Harith the same day, where the Battalion 
came under the orders of Brigadier General E. M. 
Morris, a first-rate soldier, commanding the 10th 
Irish Division. The 38th marched out of Harith 
at five p. M., on the 12th and arrived at Umm Suf- 
fah at ten p. m. the same day. 

We were now among the hills of Samaria, and 
the transport was much delayed on this march, 
owing to the frightfully rough and stony road. 
Several wheels got broken and, as a matter of fact, 
the transport, with the food, etc., did not arrive 
until the early morning of the 13th. On the 13th 
the Battalion was placed in Divisional Reserve. 
On Saturday the 15th it first came under shell fire 
while we were holding Divine Service. Shells ex- 
ploded quite close to the men, but no damage was 
done, and the Battalion took its baptism of fire 
quite cheerfully. 

During the week that followed the Companies 
were posted to units already in the line, to gain 
some knowledge of the country, and to learn the 
nature of the duties to be carried out in the fight- 
ing zone. Before we took our place in the line we 
were inspected by the G. 0. C. 10th Division who. 



62 With the Judeans in Palestine 

when the inspection was over, expressed himself 
as very pleased with the general appearance and 
steadiness of the men. 

On June 27th, A. B. and C. Companies were de- 
tailed to garrison supporting points on the front 
occupied by the 31st Infantry Brigade, to which 
we were now attached and which was under the 
command of Brigadier-General W. B. Emery, a 
genial gunner. On June 30th Battalion Head- 
quarters and D Company moved up to the front, 
and took over the second line of supporting 
points, from a place known as the Wadi Tiyur to 
the Wadi Belat, just to the west of the main road 
running from Jerusalem to Nablus (the ancient 
Shechem), where it cuts the Wadi Jib, some 
twenty miles north of the Holy City. On July 3, 
1918, the Battalion relieved the 2/101/Grenadiers 
in the left sector of the 31st Infantry Brigade 
front, the relief being commenced after dark and 
completed by 10.15 p. m. 

We found the piece of country we took over 
most interesting. We occupied the summits of 
the hills facing the Turkish position, and were 
responsible for some three or four miles of front. 
Our right rested upon Jiljilia, a pretty little ham- 
let of Samaria, and our left upon Abwein, a strong 
stonebuilt Arab village, nestling half-way down a 
steep hillside, surrounded by ^g and olive trees. 
Our line on the hills between these two places 
twisted and turned about like a snake, for of 
course we conformed to the nature of the ground. 
Our frontage towards the enemy descended into 



We Set Out for the Front 63 

the valley, some eight hundred feet below, in a 
series of rocky terraces, each having a drop of 
from six to twenty feet. These terraces and hill 
slopes were dotted with olive trees. A wadi, called 
the Wadi Gharib, ran through the narrow valley 
which lay at the bottom, and then there was a very 
steep ascent up the opposite side to the Turkish 
line. 

Our front wire was actually a few hundred 
yards down over the crest of the hill on the Turk- 
ish side, for from this position we had a better 
field of fire. When we took over this position 
from Lieut.-Colonel Strong, the 0. C. of the 
2/101/Grenadiers, a considerable amount of work 
necessarily remained to be done, building stone 
sangars, digging trenches, making roadways, and 
generally improving the position in every possible 
way. Our line was divided into four sections, one 
company guarding each part, Major Neill on the 
extreme right holding Jiljilia, and Captain Brown 
with his company in Abwein. 

We at once assumed a vigorous offensive pol- 
icy ; our patrols were pushed out every night down 
into the valley, and often up to the Turkish wire 
on the opposite hills. During daylight only the 
observation posts were manned along our front 
wire. A couple of men in each vantage point, 
equipped with field glasses or telescopes, and pro- 
vided with a telephone, kept us informed of any 
movement in the Turkish lines. As soon as dark- 
ness had fallen, each company marched its men 
over the crest of the hills and took up position in 



64 With the Judeavis in Palestine 

the sangars and defence posts along the barbed 
wire fence. All night long work and building 
went on, the unfortunate men getting very little 
rest. Listening posts were established well out 
beyond the wire, and strong patrols went down the 
ledges looking for trouble in Turkish territory. 
Our aggressive policy thoroughly scared the 
Turks, so much so that they never once attempted 
to come anywhere near our front. Just as dawn 
was breaking, having made certain by means of 
patrols and scouts that no Turks were in the 
neighborhood, the troops returned to their biv- 
ouacs behind the crest, leaving only the observa- 
tion posts on the watch. 

I had a very good Intelligence Officer in Lieut. 
Simon Abrahams, who explored No Man's Land 
very methodically, and who earned a high meas- 
ure of praise from our Brigade Commander. 
Abrahams would go out with a daring scout like 
Pte. Angel (who afterwards won the M. C), and 
sketch roads, routes, tracks, etc., right under the 
very noses of the Turks, and so careful was he 
and so secretive, that his presence on the debat- 
able ground was never even suspected by the 
enemy. 

It might be thought that when the men had fin- 
ished their night's vigil they would be allowed to 
rest, but instead of this, as soon as a hasty break- 
fast had been swallowed, they immediately had to 
fix up barbed wire entanglements, build stone- 
work redoubts and gun emplacements, make road- 
ways down the hills, or bury dead animals which 



We Set Out for the Front 65 

had died or been killed in somebody else's camp. 
Anything and everything was demanded from the 
Battalion, and every call, no matter how distaste- 
ful, was responded to with readiness, if not with 
cheerfulness. All the time that we were holding 
this bit of the Nablus front, from the Wadi Gib 
to the Wadi Garib, the men were constantly run- 
ning about on arduous jobs, and as busy as bees 
in a hive. 

Our Brigadier was a soldier whom we all liked, 
but he had a mania for putting up barbed wire 
fences, and at last we erected so much on our 
front, that we caused a serious shortage of this 
material in the E. E. F., and further wiring was 
prohibited. 

About this time there was a rumour that we 
were soon to take the offensive, and I was espe- 
cially pleased when I got a confidential communi- 
cation from our Brigade Commander, ordering 
me to prepare a careful reconnaissance of the 
country to our left front, where the surprise at- 
tack on the Turks was to be made. A good track 
up to the enemy wire, concealed as much as pos- 
sible from his view, had to be found, the general 
idea being that once there we would make a sweep 
to the right along the Turkish front opposed to 
our lines. I detailed Captain T. B. Brown for this 
important task, which he carried out admirably. 
A suitable route by which to return, with the ex- 
pected prisoners and loot, had also to be discov- 
ered and sketched, and Lieut. Simon Abrahams 
was in his element when I selected him for this 



66 With the Judeans in Palestine 

adventure. The hope of coming to grips with the 
Turks buoyed us up considerably, and the pros- 
pect of a battle in which we felt sure we would do 
well helped us through the trying and weary round 
of daily routine. 

On July 10th our Transport was shelled. Luck- 
ily, only one mule was killed, and one wounded. 
On July 14th, at 2.30 in the morning, we were 
heavily bombarded by guns of various calibres, 
but it was an absolute waste on the part of the 
Turks, for not a single casualty of any kind was 
sustained. On this day the Turks and Germans 
attacked in the Jordan Valley, and got severely 
mauled by the Anzac Mounted Division. We, too, 
expected an attack, but soon after dawn the shell- 
ing ceased and the situation became normal. 

While the Battalion was holding the forward 
trenches I always made a round of the posts every 
night to see that every one was on the alert, and 
that they knew what to do in case of attack. I 
made the men place white stones along the wire 
so that they could take aim on them in case of a 
Turkish assault in the dark, and arranged bomb- 
ing parties at various points ; in fact, we were all 
ready to give the enemy a very warm reception 
if he ever came our way. 

Once, on going my rounds, I heard a noise a 
little way down the hill. I ordered a young soldier 
to throw a bomb; he failed to get the pin quite 
out, and slipped the ^*dud'* into his great coat 
pocket ; fortunately, a Sergeant standing near saw 
what had happened, and on examining the *^dud*' 



We Set Out for the Front 67 

found the pin practically released ! The slightest 
movement would have set the bomb off and we 
should all have been blown sky high. 

No matter at what hour I returned from my 
tour of inspection along the battle line, I always 
found my faithful orderly, Corporal Hutchinson, 
awaiting me with a ^* nightcap '^ such as could only 
be mixed by the dexterous hand of an old cam- 
paigner. Hutchinson served with me when I com- 
manded a Battalion of the Irish Fusiliers and 
followed my fortunes when I went to command 
the Dublin Fusiliers. "When I asked him if he 
would go with me to the Jewish Battalion he re- 
plied, ''Oh, be the hokey! — but shure, sir, that^s 
where you'll be wanting me the most.'* Hutchin- 
son remained with me until we set out for the 
Jordan Valley, when he was taken ill and inval- 
ided home. I missed him sadly, for he used to 
remain by my tent door, and ward off any unde- 
sirable intruder like a well-trained watch-dog. A 
more faithful, loyal, and trustworthy soldier never 
shouldered a rifle. 



CHAPTER X 

THE NABLUS FKONT 

ON July 17th we were transferred to the 60th 
Division and attached to one of its Bri- 
gades. We were very sorry to leave the 
10th Division, for we had made many good friends 
all round, and our Divisional and Brigade Com- 
manders had always treated us fairly and justly. 
On the evil day of our transfer a fatal accident 
befell Lieut. B. Wolffe. He was in charge of the 
transport wagons, and was engaged in loading 
up supplies at the Ordnance Depot. The drivers 
were, of course, dismounted and standing by their 
teams while the work of loading was going ahead. 
A sudden noise frightened one of the teams, and 
off the four horses careered at a mad gallop. 
They were heading straight for some troops 
standing near, and Lieut. Wolffe, seeing this, 
made a gallant attempt to stop them, by spring- 
ing at the heads of the leaders as they dashed 
past. Unfortunately they were going too fast for 
him, and he was dragged under their feet, the 
wagon passing over his body. 
I visited him in hospital, as did also our chap- 
es 



The Nahlus Front 69 

lain and others, and we cheered him up as much 
as possible, but he died on the 20th, and his death 
cast a gloom over the whole Battalion, for he was 
a most conscientious officer, a good Jew, and well 
liked by all ranks. He was buried with full Jew- 
ish rites — a ^^Minyan'^ from the Battalion attend- 
ing. The Commander-in-Chief in General Orders 
eulogized the gallant attempt which he made 
when he sacrificed his own life in his plucky effort 
to save others. 

On July 24th I was requested by Dr. Weizmann 
to bring a representative party of officers and 
men of the Battalion to a most interesting cere- 
mony at Jerusalem — the laying of the foundation 
stones of the Hebrew University on Mount 
Scopus. In the days of her past greatness the 
Law was expounded at Jerusalem. It is quite 
possible that again, even in our own days, we shall 
hear a message of peace and good will issue from 
the temple of learning overlooking the Holy City. 
The site chosen for the building is a magnificent 
one. It looks down on the domes and minarets of 
Jerusalem on the one side, and on the other over- 
looks the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea, with the 
green hills of Moab looming in the distance. 

The ceremony itself was a most interesting one. 
The C-in-C was present; also all the civil and re- 
ligious heads of the Jewish, Christian, and Mos- 
lem communities, while a vast multitude of peo- 
ple of all creeds thronged along the slopes of Sco- 
pus from Jerusalem — a seemingly good omen for 
future peace and concord. It was a truly inspir- 



70 With the Judeans in Palestine 

ing and historic occasion and augured well for 
the future greatness of the university. Stones 
were laid by the Christian Bishop in Jerusalem, 
and by the Mufti, the chief Mohammedan digni- 
tary. One was also laid by Dr. Weizmann in the 
name of the Jewish Eegiment while what, per- 
haps, appealed to me most of all, was the part 
taken by Jewish children in laying a stone repre- 
senting the Hope of Israel. 

On my return to the Battalion I found the 
Headquarters encamped in a pretty grove of 
olives on the Inniskilling Eoad, some two miles 
behind the firing line. While we were here our 
chaplain, the Eev. L. A. Falk, one day discovered, 
embedded in the side of a hill, a red granite col- 
umn. This we unearthed and, on measuring it, 
found that it was about 12 feet high and about two 
feet in diameter. 

We erected it in our camp in a grove of olive 
trees. I much perturbed our good rabbi by chaf- 
fingly suggesting to him that we had been erect- 
ing an altar to Baal, in a grove in one of the 
high places! Our find got noised abroad, and 
the Governor of Jerusalem, Colonel Storrs, with 
his assistant, Lord William Percy, motored out 
from Jerusalem to see it. They had lunch with 
us, and I was delighted to note that Lord Percy 
took a keen interest in preserving the fauna of 
Palestine, and had induced General Allenby to 
impose strict limitations on the shooting of birds 
and beasts. 

Our transfer to the 60th Division did not, for 



The Nablus Front 71 

the time at least, result in any change in our posi- 
tion in the line, but, almost from the moment we 
joined the new Brigade, we felt the hostility shown 
towards all things Jewish by the Brigade Com- 
mander. I endeavoured to counter his prejudice 
against the Battalion, during a friendly after-din- 
ner chat, by pointing out the immense debt we 
owed to the ''People of the Book'' for all they 
have done towards civilizing and humanizing the 
world for thousands of years. During their strug- 
gle for existence through centuries of exile, in 
countries where every form of torture and re- 
pression had been in vogue against them, they 
never lost their age-long hope of a Eestoration. 
The General seemed, like many other people, to 
have a very vague idea of the aim of the Zion- 
ists, which is simply to establish a National Home 
in Palestine, where Jewish life^ rooted in its own 
soil, would have an opportunity of developing on 
modern lines, in accordance with its own ideals. 
I gave the Brigadier some new ideas on Jews, 
but all my eloquence was in vain, for I failed to 
convert him, and he hinted that I was only 
wasting my time by being mixed up with a Jewish 
unit! 

But although the Brigadier was right in one 
way when he said, ''You will get nothing out of 
it,'' yet in another way he was altogether wrong, 
for I have got a very great deal out of my service 
with this Jewish Battalion. I have had the satis- 
faction of proving that, in spite of all obstacles 
placed in its path, this new Unit showed that it 



72 With the Judeans in Palestine 

was worthy of the best traditions of the Macca- 
beans, those doughty Jewish soldiers who, on 
many a well-fought field, defeated the legions of 
Antiochus, and freed Judea from a foreign yoke. 

But it is not by fighting alone that a good Bat- 
talion is proved, and this Jewish unit was tested 
in many ways, as this record will show. There 
was no respite from such work as digging 
trenches, building stone hangars, constructing 
roads along the hillsides, by day and by night; 
nevertheless every soldierly duty allotted was car- 
ried out cheerfully and promptly. 

The rumour which had got abroad about the 
attack on the Turkish trenches opposite our front 
now crystallised into definite shape and the actual 
date of the attack was often hinted at. A few 
days before the assault was to take place, our 
Brigadier gave us the special job of making stone 
emplacements, almost within sight of the Turks, 
just above the village of Jiljilia and as we fondly 
hoped we would have a place in the assaulting 
column, all hands worked with a will, especially 
our two Christian Lithuanians, Stenelus and 
Sterilitis; these men amazed the British gunners 
by the ease with which they placed huge blocks of 
stone in position — all done by sheer strength of 
muscle combined with hearty good will. This par- 
ticular piece of work was under the supervision of 
Major Neill, and, as it had to be done in record 
time, his task was no easy one, but, fortunately for 
him and his company, the Turks never spotted 
what was going on, and before we left these parts, 



The Nahlus Front 73 

Major Neill saw the guns safely emplaced without 
suffering a single casualty. 

All this stone work on the steep sides of a hill, 
coupled with heavy marching to and fro, and 
scrambling up and down, was not good for the 
nien^s clothing, which soon got worn, ragged, and 
dirty. A false step on a slippery slope meant that 
the seat of a man's flimsy shorts was rent asun- 
der, and it was quite usual to see the tail of a shirt 
hanging out ! Yet, no matter how ragged and dis- 
reputable-looking the men were, I found it impos- 
sible to get any renewal of clothing, although it 
was freely handed out to other Units. It seemed 
as if it were a joy to some people to be able to 
withhold necessary articles of clothing, such as 
shirts, boots, socks, shorts, etc., and keep the men 
working on dirty jobs, and then to say with glee, 
**Look at the ragged, dirty Jews.'' It must be 
remembered that we could not obtain enough 
water even to wash our faces, for every drop had 
to be carried up the precipitous sides of the hills 
on camels as far as they could clamber, and then 
by mules and donkeys up the steeper parts. 
Often there was a shortage of the precious fluid 
even for tea-making. 

I wrote urgent letters again and again, and 
protested that the men were unfit to march for 
want of shoes, and that many of them were actu- 
ally exposing their nakedness for want of cloth- 
ing. I sent my quartermaster, Lieut. Smythe, day 
after day to the Ordnance Stores, trying to ex- 
tract necessary articles, but all in vain ! We were 



74 With the Judeans in Palestine 

nobody ^s children and consequently we could get 
nothing. I saw the Brigadier, and represented to 
him that in many cases our men were ragged, 
shirtless, sockless, and bootless, but if he made 
any representations on our behalf there was no 
result. 

Had we belonged to a Brigade instead of being 
merely ** attached, '* most of our troubles would 
never have arisen, but the policy adopted by the 
local staff was to keep us as ** wandering Jews," 
pitched from one Brigade to another, in a continu- 
ous round of General Post. It was a heart-break- 
ing experience, as any soldier will understand. 
At last I rode over to my old Gallipoli friend, 
Colonel O'Hara, who was on the Staff of the 10th 
Division, and he, like the good soldier that he is, 
helped me out of my difficulty as far as it lay in 
his power. 

What a difference it makes when one meets a 
good Staff Officer! Not nearly enough care is 
given to the task of selecting the right men for 
this all-important branch of the Army. They 
are too often selected for any reason except the 
right one: efficiency. The Brigade to which we 
were attached was fortunate in having at least one 
good Staff Officer. The Brigade Major was a 
thoroughly capable soldier, and always out to help 
in every way in his power. 

The Brigadier often caused me much inward 
amusement by pointedly appealing in my pres- 
ence to the judgment of a certain Colonel X , 

an officer junior to me, who was in command of 



The Nahlus Front 75 

a section on our right. If I had a sangar built 
which commanded a good field of fire, it was sure 
to be found fault with, and another had to be built 
in a site chosen by their joint wisdom. One night 
the gallant Brigadier came across the spot where 
I had my outlook post established; he thought it 
was in the wrong place of course, and consulted 
his friend, Colonel X, as to where it should be. 

^^ Don't you think it ought to be on the top of 
this housed asked the General. The Colonel 
climbed to the top of the house, gazed around in 
the inky darkness, came down again, and said he 
quite agreed with the General, as all good, well- 
trained Colonels, with an eye to the main chance, 
invariably do! 

I was then ordered to put the outlook post on 
the top of the house, which had a flat roof where 
a man would be seen by every Turk for miles 
around! Needless to say, I never placed an ob- 
server in this absurd position. 

Just about this time one of my men, quite a 
youth, was found asleep at his post, and as this 
is about the m.ost serious crime of which a sentry 
can be guilty, he was tried by General Court Mar- 
tial, and sentenced to death. A few days later a 
telegram came from the Provost Marshal order- 
ing me to send the condemned man under strong 
escort, with two senior non-commissioned officers, 
to the prisoners' compound some distance away. 
I feared that the unfortunate lad would be shot 
at dawn, and as I knew he had been working ex- 
ceedingly hard, day and niarht. for forty-eight 



76 With the Judeans in Palestine 

hours before he was found asleep at his post, and 
was of good character, and very young, I deter- 
mined to try to save him. I therefore sent a pri- 
vate wire to General Allenby asking him on these 
grounds to reprieve him. 

My friend, the Brigadier, saw the wire before it 
was despatched and stopped it. However, one of 
my men in the Signal Office told me of this. So I 
immediately wrote a confidential letter to General 
Allenby, gave it to a motor cyclist, and sent him 
off post haste to G. H. Q., some thirty miles away, 
telling him to ride for all he was worth, as a man^s 
life hung on his speed. I am glad to say that not 
only did General Allenby reprieve the man and 
reduce the sentence to a certain number of years' 
imprisonment, but he suspended even that punish- 
ment provided the man proved himself worthy of 
forgiveness by doing his duty faithfully in the 
Battalion. The young soldier returned to us over- 
joyed, and full of gratitude for his release. He 
proved himself worthy in every respect, and was 
never afterwards called upon to do a day's im- 
prisonment. 

Not satisfied with having held up the wire, the 
Brigadier motored some miles away to report the 
matter to the Divisional General, Sir John Shea. 
I was duly haled before the General, not knowing 
for what reason, until he said, ''You know you will 
get yourself into trouble if you go sending tele- 
grams direct to the C-in-C' It then dawned upon 
me for the first time why I had been sent for. 

I explained all the circumstances to the General, 



The Nablus Front 77 

and said that, in such an emergency, I felt justi- 
fied in what I had done. Besides, I said, I had not 
addressed the C-in-C as such, but as General 
Allenby, an officer whom I had known for many 
years. I also confessed that, when I found that 
the wire had been blocked, I had immediately 
written a letter of appeal to General Allenby, and 
had sent it off by a special cyclist despatch rider. 
The General pretended to be so horrified at this 
that he needed a cocktail to revive him — in which, 
I may add, he asked me to join him. I do not 
know what he thought of the Brigadier *s action, 
but I can leave the reader to imagine what I 
thought of it! 

A few days later, when I was breakfasting with 
General Shea, I was much amused when he told 
me that when he was at home his children insisted 
on his reading a lion story to them out of ^'The 
Man Eaters of Tsavo!'' 

From the frequent consultations between the 
Brigadier and Colonel X, I felt that something was 
on foot, but little realized that it was a matter 
which, if carried out, would deal a blow at the 
very identity of the Jewish battalions. This was, 
however, soon to become evident. Shortly after 
my interview with the Divisional General, I was 
called to the telephone to speak to the Brigadier, 
who said, apparently with great satisfaction, **I 
want to tell you that your Battalion and the 39th 
Battalion (which was then on its way up from 
Egypt) are to be brigaded with two West Indian 
battalions, and you are to be placed under the 



78 With the Judeans in Palestine 

command of Colonel X, who is now a General, and 
has come to live near my camp. You will find 
General X a very nice man/' I thanked the Brig- 
adier for his interesting information and hung up 
the receiver. It was now clearly my duty to stop 
this second attempt to destroy the identity of the 
Jewish Battalions in Palestine, or resign my com- 
mand. It was no easy task to achieve, because our 
good friends had worked underground all the 
time, and sprang this surprise upon me only when 
it became an accomplished fact. Colonel X had 
actually been appointed to the command; a Bri- 
gade Major and a Staff Captain had been posted 
to the new brigade, while the transport and ord- 
nance section of the formation had been already 
organized and sent to Jericho. 

The Staff at G. H. Q. had, of course, arranged 
the whole affair, and it would be no easy task to 
get the C-in-C to countermand the new Brigade 
formation. I felt that a very firm stand must be 
taken, if this blow aimed at Jewish prestige was 
to be averted. I accordingly wrote a strong letter 
direct to General Allenby pointing out that, if 
such a scheme were carried out, it would involve 
very grave issues. The Adjutant General at the 
War Office had promised that the Jewish Batta- 
lions would be formed into a Jewish Brigade, and 
to depart from this declared policy would be 
looked upon as a direct slight, both by the Jewish 
Battalions and by Jewry the world over. Loth 
as I was to worry the C-in-C, I considered it my 
duty to him, to my men, to myself, and to Jewry 



The Nahlus Front 79 

to see that Jewish interests were not trampled 
upon without a protest while I retained command. 
I requested therefore that the orders should be 
canceled, and, if not, that I should be relieved of 
my command. 

That my attitude on this question was correct 
was proved by the receipt of a most friendly reply 
from General Allenby, in which he thanked me for 
my letter and said: 

"I see the undesirability of brigading Jews with West 
Indian Battalions, and I have decided not to do so. I 
shall form a provisional Brigade of the two Jewish Bat- 
talions until a complete Jewish Brigade can be formed, 
and they will be under you. ' ' 

The whole tone of this letter showed that Gen- 
eral Allenby had been badly advised by his Staff 
in this attempted amalgamation of the Jewish 
with the West Indian Battalions. 

A few hours after I had received General Al- 
lenby 's communication, a wire came from G. H. 
Q., cancelling all the orders which had already 
been issued with regard to the formation of the 
new Brigade. Thus I won the second round in my 
fight for fair play for the Jewish Battalions, and 
Jewish ideals generally. 

I realized that my stand for justice would be 
bitterl}^ resented by certain individuals at G. H. 
Q., and that, sooner or later, I would be penalised 
for having upset their attempted little coup. 



CHAPTEE XI 

WE MARCH TO THE JOEDAN VALLEY 

WITHIN two days of the receipt of Gen- 
eral Allenby 's letter cancelling the mixed 
Brigade formation, we were suddenly or- 
dered to leave the cool and pleasant hill-tops of 
Ephraim and march down to the sweltering heat 
and fever-stricken desolation of the Jordan Val- 
ley, 1,300 feet below sea level, in the very hottest 
and most unhealthy month of the year. We, of 
course, took our orders for the deadly Valley quite 
cheerfully, feeling that it was ''not ours to reason 
why ' ' ; but we did feel that it was a blow below the 
belt to be taken out of the line of the Nablus front, 
just as an attack for which we had done most of 
the spade work was about to be made. Had we 
remained with General Emery, I feel sure that he 
would have given us a chance to show our mettle 
in the raid which was timed to take place on 
August 12, 1918. 

Even when we were transferred to the Brigade 
in the 60th Division, we had still looked forward 
to taking part in this move, and as I have already 
mentioned, we slaved away at every kind of prep- 
aration for the affair, but alas ! we were taken out 
of the line, and ordered to march to a new front, 
just three days before the attack. It almost looked 

80 



We March to the Jordan Valley 81 

as if our enemies feared we would do well, and 
our prowess would then get noised abroad to the 
discomfiture of our detractors. 

On August 9th we marched from our pretty 
camp at Inniskilling Road, where we had revelled 
in the grateful shade of the olive trees which 
abound there, and took the road, bag and baggage, 
for Ram Allah, our first halt, where we were to 
bivouac. Here we were to get further orders from 
the G. 0. C, 53rd Division, whose headquarters 
were in that ancient town. It was midnight when 
we got to our camp, where we found that someone 
had carefully chosen a site for us which was liter- 
ally one mass of stones. It must have been the 
favourite place of execution in olden days, when 
stoning to death was in vogue, and the stones had 
never since been gathered up! There was no 
grumbling, however; every man cleared a little 
patch wheron to lie down on his waterproof sheet, 
and slept the sleep of the tired. We remained at 
this delectable spot for the best part of two days, 
and on the afternoon of the 11th we marched to 
Jerusalem, where we came under the orders of the 
Desert Mounted Corps. 

We bivouacked about a mile or so short of Jeru- 
salem, and, as the camp was reached long after 
dark, the City remained hidden until dawn next 
morning. I had a cheery and welcome dinner the 
evening we arrived with Lieut. General Sir Philip 
Chetwode, who commanded the 20th Corps, at his 
H. Q. at the German Hospice, on the Mount of 
Olives. 



82 With the Judeans in Palestine 

I was awake about five o'clock next morning, 
just as the mist was beginning to disperse, and I 
woke np everybody all around about me to have 
their first look at the Holy City. My officers were 
all very tired, so they merely gave one peep at it 
out of sleepy eyes, and then buried themselves 
once more in their blankets. Later on the men 
spent the whole of the forenoon visiting Jerusa- 
lem, and especially the celebrated Wailing Wall, 
which is the only authentic portion of the Temple 
enclosure which still remains. Its huge blocks of 
stone seem to be as indestructible as the indomit- 
able race which designed, shaped, and placed them 
in position so many centuries ago. The Jewish 
^^beveP' is a noticeable feature in the stones. 
Here the Jews for nearly two thousand years have 
wept and wailed, placing their foreheads against 
the walls and copiously watering the masonry 
with their tears. The wailing of the Jews at this 
remnant of their Temple is one of the most pa- 
thetic and curious sights I have ever witnessed. 
The Jewish mendicants who are allowed to con- 
gregate in the vicinity of the Wailing Wall are 
not a pleasing spectacle, and I hope that one of 
the first acts of the Zionists will be the removal 
of this blot on Jewry. 

Bethlehem can be reached in a few minutes by 
motor from Jerusalem, and near to it EachePs 
tomb stands by the roadside, while almost oppo- 
site is the field in which Euth gleaned. 

At four-thirty in the afternoon of this day (Au- 
gust 12th), we marched off under the walls of 



We March to the Jordan Valley 83 

Jerusalem, passed the Damascus Gate, skirted the 
Garden of Gethsemane, and wended our way on to 
the road which would take us down to Jericho. 
It was a lovely sight as we halted and looked back 
over the Valley of Jehosaphat, with the brook 
Kidron between us and the walls of the venerable 
city, the beautiful Mosque of Omar overshadow- 
ing the Temple area, the mysterious Golden Gates 
fronting us, sealed up, and the westering sun gild- 
ing Mount Zion. 

I have seen Jerusalem since from many points, 
but the view from the corner of the Jericho road, 
where it skirts the Mount of Olives on the descent 
to Bethany, is to my mind by far the most beauti- 
ful and impressive. I halted every platoon there, 
so that all might look well at the glory of it — a 
glory which, alas! some of them would never re- 
turn to look upon. 

We bivouacked about three miles beyond Jeru- 
salem, and next morning (August 13th), marched 
through Bethany while it was yet dark, and 
reached our bivouac at Talaat ed Dumm at two- 
thirty in the afternoon. I reported our arrival 
to General Chauvel, of the Australian Mounted 
Division, whose headquarters were at this place, 
and from his hut I had a splendid view of the 
beauty and desolation of the Jordan Valley which 
lay spread out before me. 

Talaat ed Dumm is a weird, uncanny spot. It 
is mentioned in the Book of Joshua as Adummim, 
and is the gate of the Judean wilderness. The 
red and yellow barren hills, and rocky narrow val- 



84 With the Judeans in Palestine 

leys, have a peculiar desolation all their own, 
while the heat at the time we were there was 
scorching. 

By some jugglery on the part of the staff all 
our transport animals had been taken away from 
us, and we found ourselves stranded without a 
particle of shade, shelter, or food on this God- 
forsaken spot, sweltering in the fierce rays of the 
burning sun. At last, towards sundown, our bag- 
gage and rations arrived in motor lorries; din- 
ners and teas were rolled into one, and peace 
reigned once more in this drowsy wilderness. 

When the terrific heat had become somewhat 
less scorching, accompanied by the Padre, I wan- 
dered up to an ancient ruin which topped the 
summit of a hill dominating the roadway. This 
proved to be the castle of a redoubtable robber 
chief, who had lived here in bygone days, and 
taken his toll from every traveller. From time 
immemorial this has been the stronghold of the 
robber bands who waylaid, robbed, and even mur- 
dered, those journeying to and fro between Jeru- 
salem and Jericho. It was close to this bandit's 
castle that the Good Samaritan poured oil and 
wine into the wounds of the unfortunate wayfarer 
who had fallen among thieves. It was an ideaF 
spot for a robber's lair, because it commands a 
full view of what is practically the only route for 
caravans through this dreary, barren wilderness. 

We were not sorry to leave our camp at dawn, 
and we strode out so merrily that we overtook a 
Cavalry Brigade which blocked our way! As we 



We March to the Jordan Valley 85 

inarched down the steep descent to the Jordan 
Valley we had, on onr left, the Wadi Kelt, which 
wound its tortuous course through the boulders 
at the bottom, hundreds of feet sheer below us. 
Some people say that it was here that the Pro- 
phet Elijah was fed by the ravens, but it has been 
satisfactorily proved that the brook Cherith, 
where Elijah hid, is now known as the Wadi Fu- 
sail. It runs into the Jordan from the westward, 
near a place called the rock of Oreb. This sug- 
gested an idea to me that the ^* ravens'' spoken 
of in the Bible, were not birds, but people, for the 
word ''Oreb'' means a raven. 

We know there was a prince called Oreb, for 
we have an account of his death in Jud^^es vii. 25. 
It is also a well-known fact that in the East tribes 
take their names from their prince or chief man, 
so that, in all probability, there was a tribe called 
Orbim (the plural of "oreb" or raven). The 
place where Prince Oreb was slain was the rock of 
Oreb, and it is known to this day as ''Tel el Or- 
baim." Moreover, this place is in Gilead, which 
was Elijah's old home, so it was quite natural that 
he should flee to this neighbourhood, and be fed 
with flesh and bread night and morning by his 
friends the Orbim, or "Ravens." How similar, 
too, are the words used in the fourth and ninth 
verses of 1st Kings 17: 

"I have commanded the ravens to feed thee 
there, ' ' and ' ' I have commanded a widow woman 
there to sustain thee." Can it be possible that 
the Ravens were people and not birds, and that 



86 With the Judeans in Palestine 

our old and learned translators fell into the error 
of thinking that they were birds because they did 
not know of the possible existence of a tribe called 
^*Orbim*' or ravens? 

We continued our march down through the Ju- 
dean wilderness, the place where the High Priest 
yearly turned loose the Scapegoat which bore on 
its head the sins of the Children of Israel. Oc- 
casionally, away to our right, between the deso- 
late, dusty, sulphurous-looking hills we caught a 
momentary glimpse of the emerald sheen of the 
Dead Sea, while away on our left, on the edge of 
the valley, stood out the Mount of Temptation. 

The moment we got down to the Jordan Valley 
(or Ghor as the Arabs call it) the real trials of 
the men began. The heat was intense, and the 
going became very heavy, for we had no longer a 
good metalled road on which to march. Dust lay 
a foot deep on the path; it was exceedingly fine, 
and looked like the best powdered cement. As 
the men marched, clouds of it arose and choked 
them, while their feet were actually sucked down 
at each step, and an effort had to be made to draw 
the foot out again as if some devil were below, 
pulling at the sole of the boot. The sixteen pla- 
toons forming the battalion marched well apart, 
in order to evade as much of this blinding, chok- 
ing, sulphurous dust as possible. 

Jericho, the city of the Palms, lay a little to our 
right. We passed its outskirts and halted for a 
rest under old Jericho, the walls of which the 
Bible tells us miraculously fell to Joshua's trum- 



I 



We March to the Jordan Valley 87 

pets over 3,000 years ago. This was a thought 
which acted as a spur to every Jewish soldier, 
and, although the march was a hard one, and the 
worst of it had yet to be done, the men came 
through the ordeal triumphantly and very few 
dropped out by the way. Those who did fall by 
the wayside were helped along by our Padre, the 
Rev. L. A. Falk, who gave up his horse to the 
footsore, and carried the pack and rifle of the 
weary, thus cheering them along into camp. This 
time it was the priest who proved the good Sa- 
maritan on the road to Jericho. 

Soon after we recommenced our march from 
under the walls of old Jericho, a huge black col- 
umn of fine dust, whose top was lost in the heav- 
ens, arose in front of us, and gyrated slowly and 
gracefully as our vanguard, leading us onward to 
our bivouac on the banks of a cool and pleasant 
brook, where it vanished. I felt that this was a 
good omen for our success in the Jordan Valley, 
for it was a case of the Children of Israel being 
led once more by a pillar of cloud. 

The Headquarters of the Australian Mounted 
Division was close beside our bivouac, and here 
I had a very welcome breakfast with Major Gen- 
eral H. W. Hodgson, its capable and genial Com- 
mander. The General told me that he would re- 
view the Battalion on the following afternoon, on 
its march out to the new camping ground on the 
Auja. 

Next morning, while the men were resting and 
refreshing themselves on the banks of the Nueia- 



88 With the Judeans in Palestine 

meh (for so the cool stream was named) I rode 
down the valley to the eastward of Jericho, accom- 
panied by our Padre. We waded through the 
Wadi Kelt, luxuriant grass growing where the 
water had overflowed its banks, showing how 
fruitful the Valley would be if it were irrigated. 
We searched the plain to discover, if possible, 
some traces of the ancient Gilgal, Joshua's 
G. H. Q., and, eventually, we came upon what we 
took to be the site, some three miles to the south- 
east of Old Jericho. At all events we found some 
very ancient stonework buried in grass-grown 
mounds, just about where Gilgal might be looked 
for, and I feel sure that, if excavations were car- 
ried out here, some very interesting discoveries 
would be made. 

After we had briefly examined the ruins, I sug- 
gested to the Padre that we should go and break- 
fast in Jericho, if indeed we could find a cara- 
vanserai there, so in search of a hostelry, we rode 
into the modern city of the Palms. It proved to 
be but a poor tumbledown jumble of buildings, as 
might have been expected. However, as we rode 
along, we came upon a somewhat pretentious- 
looking building on which was painted *^The Gil- 
gal Hotel.'' Whatever doubt there may have been 
about the ancient Gilgal, here at any rate was a 
modern one, the discovery of which at this mo- 
ment was most opportune, for we were both de- 
cidedly hungry after our explorations. 

As we rode into the courtyard, a dozen Arab 
urchins, who had been lounging about, made a 



We March to the Jordan Valley 89 

dash for our horses, each eager to grasp the 
reins in the hope of some baksheesh. An elderly- 
dame, on hearing the scuffle, emerged from a door- 
way, scattered the surplus boys, and called loudly, 
** Victoria, Victoria.'* A musical voice from a 
room above responded to this familiar name, and, 
on looking up, we saw a buxom, olive-tinted dam- 
sel step on to the balcony. A voluble dialogue 
then took place between mother and daughter, the 
result of which was that Victoria, in excellent Eng- 
lish, invited us up to breakfast. We had a most 
sumptuous feast, or so it appeared to us, inured 
as we were to plain camp fare. I was particu- 
larly pleased with the flavour of the honey, which 
Victoria informed us was taken from a hive in the 
garden. The milk, too, was good and plentiful, 
so we had at last reached the ^^land flowing with 
milk and honey.'' Before we left, I asked our 
fair hostess how it came about that she, a Syrian 
damsel, was known as Victoria, to which she 
promptly replied, '' Because I am Queen of 
Jericho." 

Some time afterwards I made a special visit to 
old Jericho. Naturally during the three thousand 
odd years which have elapsed since its capture by 
Joshua, the old city has got silted up, and the 
place has been covered over by soil washed down 
from the Judean hills, but just before the war a 
party of antiquarians commenced excavation work 
and exposed several buildings of the old city, some 
twenty to thirty feet below the surface of the 
grounds. There the lintels and doorposts may be 



90 With the Judeans in Palestine 

seen embedded in the brickwork, but they are all 
turned into charcoal, probably from the fire which 
consumed the city by Joshua's command. It will 
be remembered that the rebuilding of Jericho was 
forbidden under a terrible curse: 

** Cursed be the man before the Lord that riseth up 
and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foun- 
dation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son 
shall he set up the gates of it." — Joshua vi. 26. 

The Battalion left its pleasant bivouac by the 
Nueiameh at five o'clock in the afternoon, and 
waded across through its cool waters; when we 
had marched through the appalling dust of the 
Valley for some three miles, I observed General 
Hodgson waiting to review us on the far side of a 
steep nullah, I cantered on, and took up my place 
beside the General and his A. D. C, Captain Bux- 
ton. I am certain that a review was never held 
under more peculiar circumstances. 

The men marched in column of fours, platoon 
after platoon, down one side of the steep gulley 
and up the other, and then past the General, who 
apparently expected to see them marching as 
steadily as if they had been in the Long Valley at 
Aldershot ; and the strange part of it is that they 
were marching steadily, shoulder to shoulder, in 
spite of the difficult ground which they had to ne- 
gotiate, and the enormous load they had to carry. 
They were one mass of dust from head to foot. 
Nothing could be seen of their faces except a pair 
of eyes blinking out of a countenance which looked 
as if it had been dipped in a flour barrel, and then 




m 



Fj CO 

I"- 

S 
< 



cc 



o w 
S S 

- K 

<^ 

I-H l< 

w o 





(1) BEDOUIN GIRL AT llAFA (See p. 165). (2) BEDOUIN 
(See n. ]fi5). {?,) BEDOUIN CAMI'— RAFA (Soe p. 1( 
WOMEN AND riTILDBEN AT RAFA (See p. K,.-,). 



FAMILY AT RAFA 
5). (4) BEDOUIN 



We March to the Jordan Valley 91 

streaked with lines of soot, for rivulets of black 
sweat ran in parallel lines down their dust-cov- 
ered faces. It was the funniest sight I ever saw 
in my life, but the men were as grave as owls. I 
could hardly keep my face straight when, on the 
command ^'eyes leff being given, they turned 
those comical-looking faces boldly up to the 
General. 

I remarked to him that it was a bit of an ordeal 
to review them just after scrambling down and up 
the steep sides of a gulley, and he replied, **That 
is exactly why I am here. I want to see how they 
shape under the most difficult possible circum- 
stances, and I must congratulate you on their sol- 
dierly bearing and steadiness.*' 

The Battalion certainly did itself credit that 
day, for it was no light ordeal to go through, con- 
sidering the dust and heat, and the enormous 
weight that the unfortunate men had to carry, 
stowed away on every part of their person. 

When we had completed about six miles of the 
march towards our camping place at the Auja, we 
were met by the Brigade Major of the 12th Cav- 
alry Brigade, an energetic Staff Officer, who, be- 
sides coming himself, had thoughtfully provided 
guides to lead us into the camp in the darkness. 
It must be remembered that we were now within 
sight and range of the Turkish guns, and all large 
bodies of troops had to move in the dark. We 
were very glad to reach our bivouac on the Auja, 
with many cool and shady nooks amid the foliage 
which grows in profusion along its banks. 



CHAPTER XII 

OUE POSITION IN THE MELLAHAH 

WE were now attached to the 12th Cav- 
alry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier 
General J. T. Wigan, and on August 
16th, 17th, and 18th we took over D. and E. sec- 
tions of the Desert Corps front line, relieving the 
19th Indian Lancers and the 6th Indian Cavalry 
Regiments. We were, nnfotrunately, only a few 
days with the 12th Brigade, which was moved to 
Ludd soon after we were posted to it. 

The Jordan Valley, at the place where we were 
entrenched, is about fifteen miles wide and is over 
twelve hundred feet below soa level. It is for the 
most part fairly flat, but is intersected here and 
there by huge ravines, which are in places quite 
narrow, and at others some hundreds of yards 
across, with sheer cliffs some thirty to fifty feet 
high as banks. Looking at the valley from the 
hills that border it, one would never suspect the 
existence of these great rifts. The river Jordan 
runs in the centre of one of these depressions, 
which in places is fifty to one hundred feet below 
the ordinary level of the rest of the valley. 

The Wadi Mellahah is another huge cleft or 
rift, running about a mile to the west of, and more 

92 



Our Position in the Mellahah 93 

or less parallel to, the Jordan. It is some ten 
miles long, and varies from a few score yards to a 
mile in width. Steep cliffs and slopes shut it in 
on both sides, and makes the bed of the Mellahah 
about as hot and stifling a spot as can well be 
imagined, while, to add further abomination to it, 
noxious fumes arose in places from its barren and 
desolate-looking sides and bed. A tiny, briny 
streamlet runs its straggling course through it in 
the dry season, although in places it spreads out 
into large reed-covered swamps. The water of 
this rivulet was so salty that a single drop was 
more than one could bear to take on the tip of 
one's tongue. We made our Headquarters in this 
gulley, some three miles from where it flows into 
the Auja, of which it is a tributary, and here we 
fixed up a reed hut as our mess house, under the 
shade of the only tree in this depressing spot. Of 
course we had to keep down in the depths of the 
ravine, otherwise we would be seen and shelled by 
the Turks. 

This Mellahah Wadi has been made in the 
course of ages by the rush of water coming down 
from the Judean and other hills to the north, 
where there is a heavy annual rainfall. Here 
and there in the ravine, where it is at its broadest, 
stand isolated hillocks which the water has not 
worn away, and on these had been constructed 
some of our more northern redoubts; they were 
easy to defend and commanded a good view, for 
their tops were on a level with the surface of the 
surrounding valley. 



94 With the Judeans in Palestine 

One of our redoubts was named '^Salf and, 
just to the north of it, a sparkling spring bubbled 
out of the side of the cliff. It looked so pure and 
inviting that I took a mouthful, and was nearly 
poisoned for my pains. It was the most briny, 
sulphurous liquid imaginable. There is a for- 
tune awaiting the man who exploits its medicinal 
properties ! 

The northern end of the Mellahah was held by 
the Turks and there it opened out into a huge 
swamp. Of course the mosquitoes bred and 
thrived in this natural reserve, and played havoc, 
not only with the Turkish army, but with our men 
too. When the wind blew from the north, it car- 
ried the little demons amongst us in swarms. We 
had drained the swampy part of the Mellahah, 
within our own lines at enormous pains, so that 
unless the wind blew from the north, we were 
fairly free of the irritating pests. As a matter of 
fact, we used to go out every night half a mile or 
so in front of our wire, deepening and diverting 
the streamlet, in order to dry up the swamp, and 
remove the breeding ground of the mosquitoes as 
far as possible from our posts. This was always 
risky work, for, if the Turks had discovered what 
we were about, they would no doubt have made it 
very lively for us with rijBie and machine-gun fire. 

From a military point of view our position in 
the Mellahah was a hazardous one. We were now 
on the extreme right flank, and extreme north 
front, of the British Army in Palestine — the post 
of honour, and danger, in the line, with the Turks 



Our Position in the MellaJiah 95 

practically on three sides of us in the salient which 
we held. We had the most exposed piece of front 
to guard which it is possible to conceive, and we 
were so badly supported by guns, etc., that, had 
the Turks made a determined attack in force, we 
would probably have been annihilated before 
succor could reach us. It was altogether an ex- 
traordinarily risky position in which to place a 
raw Battalion. The authorities must have had 
great faith in our fighting abilities ! 

We were the only troops in the Mellahah, or 
within miles of it — our next nearest neighbours 
being the West Indian Regiment, which had a 
much better position than ours, close under the 
Judean hills, with the swift sweet waters of the 
Auja running through their lines. The 20th In- 
dian Infantry Brigade held the Jordan some three 
miles to the south of us, and it would have been 
quite feasible for the Turks to have concentrated 
a considerable force and thrust themselves into 
the gap between our lines and theirs ; by their so 
doing we would have been completely cut off. The 
Anzac Mounted Division was strung out a long 
way southward, from the Auja to the Dead Sea, 
and some considerable time would have to elapse 
before these doughty warriors could come to our 
assistance. The guns guarding our section of the 
front were very few — about six thirteen-pounders 
and a couple of howitzers, the latter being rarely 
brought into action. We had in our neighbour- 
hood part of the 4tli Turkish Army, some ten thou- 
sand strong, with over seventy guns, so it can 



96 With the Judeans in Palestine 

be seen how precarious our position was. In our 
infant days some wag had bestowed upon us the 
unofficial motto, ^'No advance without security/' 
but here we did not live up to it, for we were in- 
deed well advanced without any security. 

The Turks were in possession of the important 
Umm esh Shert Ford on the Jordan, and held very 
strong positions covering the ford on our side of 
the river, and their entrenched line ran right 
across our front, and onward to the Judean 
foothills, some ten miles to the west of our posi- 
tion. To the southward of the Umm esh Shert 
Ford we had an observation post on the cliffs 
which overlooked the Jordan, and on a moonlight 
night it was an eerie experience to stroll across 
to it and lie on the warm sand, listening to the 
melancholy howling of the jackals and hyenas 
which filled the air with their dismal cries and 
wailings. I often wondered if the thick growth of 
tangled trees and shrubs which spread out over 
one hundred feet below me up and down the river 
banks, did not conceal many strange, wild crea- 
tures, still unsuspected in these regions ; the place 
lends itself to the weird in all things, but the only 
uncanny thing I saw there was a reddish-coloured 
hare with enormous ears which, on that occasion 
at all events, got away safely to the shelter of the 
reeds. The Turkish outposts at this point were 
established on the opposite bank of the Jordan, 
but they never molested us, or attempted to cross 
at this point. 

Our sector of some seven miles of front 



Our Position in the Mellahah 97 

stretched from this point in a northwesterly direc- 
tion, and we held a series of redoubts, some on the 
Jordan bank of the Wadi-Mellahah, others on hil- 
locks in the ravine, as I have already described, 
and three more on the right bank of the Wadi. 
This sector was divided into two. I placed Major 
Ripley in command of the northwestern part, 
while Major Neill commanded the southeastern 
wing. Each of these officers had some six re- 
doubts to defend, and several of the posts were 
quite isolated, and had to depend entirely on 
themselves in case of attack. I recommended 
that two of these posts should be abolished, for 
they were unsuitable for defence purposes. The 
Corps Commander (General Chauvel), the Divi- 
sional Commander, and all their staffs came out 
one day to see if my suggestion was sound. I 
remember we all stood in a row looking over one 
of the parapets of the useless redoubt in full view 
of the Turks ; if they had only fired a lucky shot 
from ^* Jericho Jane*' that morning they might 
have made a good bag! All the generals agreed 
that the two posts were useless, so we dismantled 
them gladly, for it meant less men to find for duty 
each night — a most important consideration when 
one 's men are all too few for the work in hand. 

This was the last I saw of General Chauvel and 
General Hodgson, for they were soon afterwards 
ordered out of the valley to prepare for the great 
concentration which was being secretly carried 
out on the extreme left of the Army, near Jaffa. 
When the Australian Division was removed we 



98 With the Judeans in Palestine 

were attached to Major General Sir Edward 
Chaytor, who commanded the Anzac Mounted Di- 
vision of immortal fame. This was a piece of rare 
good fortune for us, for we found in General 
Chaytor a man of wide sympathy and understand- 
ing, a demon for work and efficiency, but always 
ready to give honour where honour was due — 
even to Jews. 

Although our position in the Mellahah was such 
an isolated and precarious one, we had no pessi- 
mistic forebodings with regard to our ability to 
give a good account of ourselves if attacked. We 
felt that ^ * the greater the danger, the greater the 
honour,'^ and it behooved us to be all the more 
vigilant, and up and doing at all times. The mag- 
nificent way in which the men responded to the 
call of duty in that desolate, nerve-racking region, 
is beyond all praise. All day long the sun beat 
down mercilessly on them, their only shelter be- 
ing a flimsy bit of bivouac canvas, and the nights 
were stifling. Even when at rest, perspiration 
streamed from every pore. Flies and mosquitoes 
deprived every one of sleep, for our mosquito nets 
soon became torn and worthless, and could not be 
replaced. 

Just before dark every available man, other 
than those required to go on patrols and recon- 
noitering duty, had to parade fully equipped and 
march to his post on the redoubts. Here the 
apparently endless night was spent. At dawn 
the men marched back to their comfortless bi- 
vouacs to snatch what repose they could before 



Our Position in the Mellahah 99 

they were again called upon to work on strength- 
ening the redoubts and deepening the trenches. 

It was in truth an exceedingly strenuous life 
under such terrible climatic conditions. Water 
could be obtained only in very limited quantities ; 
every drop had to be carried from the Auja four 
or five miles away. The whole place was con- 
stantly enveloped in stagnant dust, so it can be 
imagined with what appetite under such appalling 
conditions a man could tackle food, every mouth- 
ful of which was necessarily full of sand and grit. 

This part of the Jordan Valley is not supposed 
to be habitable during the months of August and 
September. Even the wild Bedouins, who linger 
in these parts to feed their flocks of goats, flee 
from the accursed place in these two dreaded 
months. An Australian summed up life in the 
Jordan Valley very well when he remarked one 
sweltering day, **God need not have troubled to 
make hell when He had the Jordan Valley.'* 

No British soldier had yet been called upon to 
endure the horrors of the Mellahah even for a 
week; nevertheless the Jewish Battalion was kept 
there for over seven weeks at the most deadly 
period of the year. Looking back upon it all I 
can only say that the Jewish people may well be 
proud of their Battalion for the admirable way it 
^^ carried on'* in this ** abomination of desola- 
tion.'' It was about the hottest, most unhealthy, 
and most God-forsaken place in the universe — ^in 
fact, some of my men assured me that they saw 
the Devil himself there, horns, tails and all ! 



100 With the Judeans in Palestine 

Such was the position allotted to the 38th Bat- 
talion to defend and hold, and it can be imagined 
that the change from the hilltops of Ephraim to 
this inferno was appalling. Knowing that onr 
enemies had already tried to abolish the Jewish 
Battalion, I was strongly reminded of the story 
of Uriah the Hittite! How terribly we suffered, 
owing to our tour of duty in this pestilential 
region will be described in a later chapter. 



CHAPTER XIII 

LIFE IN THE MELLAHAH 

ALTHOUGH the climatic change from the 
cool hilltops of Samaria to the inferno of 
the Jordan Valley differed as heaven does 
from hell, still we had compensations in the fair, 
just, and kindly treatment meted out to us by Gen- 
eral Chaytor and every officer, non-commissioned 
officer, and man of the Anzac Mounted Division. 
The Battalion stood entirely on its merits, and 
that it found favor in the sight of these famous 
fighters is the proudest feather in its cap. Their 
minds were as broad as the wide spaces from 
whence they had come and in their strong souls 
there was no room for petty spite or discrimina- 
tion. If we acquitted ourselves like men and per- 
formed our duties like good soldiers, then it did 
not matter, even if we were Jews. 

The Anzac Mounted Division Headquarters 
were about eight miles from my own, and it fre- 
quently fell to my lot to ride there through the 
devouring heat of the day for a conference with 
the General. Never shall I forget the delicious 
cool draught of shandy that always welcomed me, 
straight from the ice-box, mixed by the cunning 
hand of Colonel Bruxner, the A. A. and Q. M. G. 

101 



102 With the Judeans in Palestine 

of the Division. Bruxner would spy me from afar 
off, and being a man of understanding, had the 
nectar all ready by the time I reached his tent, 
and oh, how good it was ! No place in the world 
can raise a thirst like the Jordan Valley, but 
it was almost worth enduring when it could 
be quenched by a long draught of Bruxner^s 
elixir. 

The principal objective on our special piece of 
front was the Umm esh Shert Ford over the Jor- 
dan. It was some two miles to the east of our 
most northerly posts on the Mellahah, and it was 
well protected by a series of trenches, by barbed 
wire entanglements, and by the fortified Jordan 
cliffs. If we could, by any chance, get possession 
of this crossing, it would mean that the Turkish 
communications would be thrown considerably 
out of gear, and all their local arrangements, east 
and west of the Jordan, completely upset. Fur- 
thermore, in the case of an advance on our part, 
by pushing mounted troops across this Ford, the 
whole of the Turkish position, ten miles to the 
east-south-east of us at Nimrin, would be turned, 
for the road by the Umm esh Shert Ford was the 
short cut to Es Salt (the old Eamoth Gilead), and 
Amman (the ancient Rabbath Ammon, where 
that splendid Hittite soldier Uriah was treach- 
erously sent to his death). Our constant endeav- 
our, therefore, in patrol and reconnaissance, was 
to gather all possible information as to the ways 
and means of getting at this spot, and making it 
our own. No stone was left unturned, and no risk 



Life in the Mellahah 103 

avoided which would lead to this important result, 
and in due course we had our reward. 

In such an isolated position as ours, the only 
thing to be done was to adopt an aggressive atti- 
tude towards our enemies, and so induce them to 
think that we were a great deal stronger than 
was actually the case. This policy succeeded ad- 
mirably, and we put up such a good blufP, and 
harried the Turks so vigorously, that they were 
in constant dread of attack, and immediately be- 
gan to erect barbed wire fences right along their 
entire front, with every appearance of haste and 
nervousness. Considering the nature and extent 
of the position which we held, we lost very few 
men in killed, wounded, and missing during the 
seven odd weeks we grilled in the Jordan Valley. 
We were daily and nightly shelled, but the Turk- 
ish gunners rarely had any luck. On the other 
hand we harassed them continuously, with the re- 
sult that deserters began to come in freely, some- 
times singly, and often in twos and threes. It is 
strange but true that until we came into the valley 
prisoners and deserters were very scarce. 

On one occasion a prisoner was brought before 
me trembling violently. On my asking him what 
was the matter, he replied that he feared his 
throat was about to be cut! His officer, he said, 
had told him that we finished off all our prisoners 
in this way. I laughed and, wishing to prove him, 
told him that after he had had some food I pro- 
posed to send him back to his camp, so that he 
might tell all his comrades how well we treated 



104 With the Judeans in Palestine 

those who fell into our hands. On hearing this 
he cried bitterly that he did not want to return to 
his camp at any price, and begged to be kept by 
the British, a request to which I, of course, readily 
acceded. 

A Turkish sergeant who was captured one day 
made us all laugh heartily. Before he was marched 
off to the prisoners' compound somebody wanted 
to take a photograph of him. The little sergeant 
(for he was quite diminutive), preened himself 
like a peacock, gave a rakish tilt to his headgear, 
a fierce twist to his moustache, and struck a dra- 
matic pose before he would allow himself to be 
snapped. He was a regular Turkish Charlie 
Chaplin ! 

Most of our prisoners told us quite frankly that 
they were tired of the war, their ill usage, and bad 
food, and were glad to be in our hands, more espe- 
cially as they never got any rest in front of our 
lines. 

On August 26th, thirteen Turks of the 1st In- 
fantry Battalion of the 2nd Eegiment of the 24th 
Division surrendered. These men deserted en 
bloc, while they were holding a post which 
guarded the flank of their Battalion. I found out 
from them that their relief party was due to 
arrive before I could possibly get a half platoon 
from my Battalion to occupy the deserted post. 
If time had allowed me to lay a little trap, I 
should like to have seen the faces of the incoming 
Turks when they found themselves looking down 
our rifle barrels as they marched into their post. 



Life in the Mellahdh 105 

They must have been sufficiently astonished as it 
was to find the place empty. 

I watched an exciting little adventure one morn- 
ing, just as dawn was breaking, as I stood in one 
of the fire bays of our most advanced redoubt, 
peering through my field glasses to the northward, 
along the jagged course of the Mellahah, where it 
spread out into many channels and ravines near 
the Turkish lines. All at once, I spied some eight 
hundred yards off, two Turkish officers standing 
at the foot of a huge sand slope, gazing at some- 
thing away to their left. They looked to me as if 
they had come out to shoot a hare, or perhaps a 
gazelle, as there were some of these pretty crea- 
tures in the valley. One of the officers was ex- 
tremely tall and wore a long black cloak. 

Now I knew that I had an officer (Lieut. Evans) 
and man out scouting in that neighbourhood, and 
I felt rather anxious for their safety if they 
should, unexpectedly, come upon the Turks. I 
therefore searched the vicinity with my glasses, 
and sure enough, there they were, walking calmly 
along on the opposite side of the high sand bank 
under which the Turks were standing. Neither 
party was aware of the presence of the other. I 
felt it was not a time to take any chances, for I 
did not know how many more Turks there might 
be concealed from my view, behind the many sand 
hills that were dotted about, so I called up Major 
Kipley and sent him and half a dozen men at the 
double, to cause a diversion, and, if possible, to 
capture the enemy officers. 



106 With the Judeans in Palestine 

While giving these directions I kept my glasses 
on my two scouts, hoping that a lucky turn would 
take them out of danger, or expose the enemy to 
them before they themselves were spotted. All at 
once Lieut. Evans headed up the side of the sand 
ridge, and I knew then that all would be well, for 
the Turks had their T3ack to him. As soon as he 
reached the top he cautiously peered over, and he 
must have been astonished to see the enemy so 
near, for he promptly ducked his head out of view. 
He then slid down the slope, took his orderly with 
him, and ran to put himself between the Turks 
and their lines, hoping, I suppose, to ambush them 
as they returned. The latter, all unconscious of 
what was going on, were taking things very casu- 
ally, and instead of going back to camp, they 
came on a little way in the direction of our lines. 
This upset Evans ' calculations, so he and his man 
began to stalk the Turks, and just as he was 
about to open fire on them they discovered him, 
and then both sides loosed off their rifles and a 
regular duel began. 

Meanwhile Major Eipley and his men had 
climbed halfway up the side of the ravine, and 
they in turn began to blaze away at the Turks, 
who were now thoroughly scared. They took to 
flight, and in the many twists, turns, and channels 
thereabouts managed to get safely away to their 
own lines. Evans and his scout got back to ours, 
none the worse for their adventure. 

I had a narrow shave myself in this same post 
a couple of days later. It was my custom to scan 



Life in the Mellahah 107 

the enemy's lines soon after daybreak every 
morning from this commanding position, in order 
to see if any changes had taken place in the night. 
A Turkish sniper must have seen me and marked 
me for his own. At all events I had just finished 
my survey, and stepped down from my perch, 
when a bullet buried itself with a thud in the 
bank just about where my head had been! 

A couple of days later Lieut. Mendes and Sergt. 
Levy were out scouting along the intricate course 
of the Mellahah to the north of our lines, when 
they walked into an ambuscade; the Sergeant 
fell at the first volley, but, luckily, Mendes was 
not hit. He refused to surrender and, in spite of 
some fleet-footed Turks making the pace very hot 
for him, he eluded the lot, and got back to our 
lines safely, but thoroughly exhausted. 



CHAPTEE XIV 

WE WIN OUR FIRST HONOURS 

ON August 28th, a patrol of six privates, un- 
der the command of a Sergeant, crept up 
to the Turkish trenches near the Umm esh 
Shert Ford. It was a dark and windy night, so they 
got quite close to the enemy without being seen; 
when about thirty yards short of the Turks they 
lay down and then observed a sentry standing a 
little way off. One of the patrol, Private Sapi- 
ashvili, a Jew from the Caucasus, began to crawl 
forward and cautiously stalk the unwary sentinel. 
When eventually he succeeded in getting behind 
him, he stood up and advanced boldly, pretending 
to be a Turk, for he was able to speak a few words 
of Turkish. All at once he pounced on the sentry, 
seized him by the throat, and bore him to the 
ground. 

The enemy in the trenches heard the scuffle and 
opened fire, and one man of our patrol was badly 
hit. Sepiashvili, however, stuck to his prisoner, 
disarmed him, and took him triumphantly off to 
our camp. The Turks in the trenches numbered 
about a score, and kept up a heavy fire, so the rest 
of the patrol withdrew. Before doing so, Private 
Gordon lifted his wounded comrade (Private 

108 



We Win Our First Honours 109 

Marks) and carried him back to our lines under a 
rain of bullets from the Turks. I recommended 
these men to General Chaytor for their gallantry 
and coolness under fire. 

It was unfortunate that Private Mark's wound 
proved to be a mortal one. He had only joined 
the Battalion some three days previously, and this 
was his first encounter with the Turks. He had 
served in France and other war centres, and had 
passed through many a fierce fight, scathless. We 
gave him a very impressive burial the following 
morning, under the lea of a little hillock, with his 
face turned towards Jerusalem ; the spires of the 
buildings on the Mount of Olives could actually 
be seen from the spot where we were standing 
around his grave. 

One of the ten men who, at Helmieh, had 
wished to join a Labour Battailon, but who, on 
reconsideration, had seen that it was his duty to 
remain a fighting soldier, was Private Greyman. 
He was a man who disapproved of all forms of 
violence. He hated war and all the brutalities 
pertaining thereto, yet he carried out his military 
duties most conscientiously. He happened to be 
one of a party on duty in the forward trenches on 
the Day of Atonement, and while repelling some 
snipers who were attempting to make it unpleas- 
ant for us in our camp, poor Greyman met with an 
instantaneous death, an enemy bullet passing 
through his head. I heard afterwards that when 
his widow received the usual W. 0. notification 
that he was killed in action, she refused to believe 



110 With the Judeans in Palestine 

it, for she saw that the date given was the Day 
of Atonement, a day on which she said no Jew 
could possibly be fighting; but alas, we had to 
man the trenches continuously, no matter how 
sacred, or in what reverence, any particular day 
was held by Jew or Gentile. 

We were sometimes attached to the 1st, and 
sometimes to the 2nd Australian Light Horse Bri- 
gades, under Generals Cox and Eyrie ; when they 
moved we were placed under General Meldrum, 
the Commander of the New Zealand Mounted 
Eifles Brigade. All were keen soldiers and good 
and gallant comrades. 

"While we were under General Eyrie, I remem- 
ber he said to me one day that he would like to 
come out and inspect my posts. 

^ ^ Very good. General, ' ^ I said. ' * Come out with 
me any morning you wish. ' ' 

^^When do you start !^' he asked. 

^ ^ Generally at three a. m. ' ' I replied. 

'* That's a d — d good time to sleep," said the 
General ! 

Another night some of our patrols scared the 
Turks badly, and they started a tremendous fusil- 
lade with every rifle and gun that could be 
brought into action. The noise of the battle re- 
verberated down the Mellahah and reached the 
Auja, where General Eyrie was encamped. 
Thinking that a serious attack had begun the Gen- 
eral sprang hastily out of bed, and planted his 
naked foot right on the tail of a huge black scor- 
pion ! For a full half hour afterwards Australia 



We Win Our First Honours 111 

was heard at her best. When I saw him a couple 
of days later he philosophically remarked that 
there was virtue even in a scorpion sting, for it 
had completely cured him of ever attempting to 
get out of bed again in the dark, even if all the 
Turks in the Ottoman Empire were at his door. 

General Eyrie was afterwards promoted to 
Major General, was appointed to the command of 
the Australian Mounted Division, and had the 
K. C. M. G. conferred on him. 

Towards the end of August General Allenby 
reviewed the Anzacs at their Headquarters, some 
four miles to the north of Jericho. The Mounted 
Division was formed into three sides of a square, 
and into this General Allenby galloped, followed 
by his Staff. It was well for the C-in-C that he 
was a good horseman, for the spirited animal 
which he rode gave one or two very hearty bucks, 
quite enough to have unseated the majority of 
our Generals. Later, the Chief decorated a num- 
ber of the officers and men who had gallantly won 
distinctions, and at the end of the ceremony made 
a good soldierly speech to the Division. 

1 was invited to be present at the review, and 
on being presented by General Chaytor to the 
Commander-in-Chief the latter remarked, ^^Oh, by 
the way, Patterson, I fear I cannot form your 
Jewish Brigade, for I have been notified by the 
War Office that there are no more Jewish troops 
coming out.*' I replied that I thought this in- 
formation must be inaccurate for I had just had 
a letter from the officer commanding the 40th Bat- 



112 With the Judeans in Palestine 

talion at Plymouth, informing me that he was 
about to embark with his Battalion for service in 
Palestine. The C.-in-C. seemed somewhat sur- 
prised on hearing this, but said he considered his 
information later and better than mine, so of 
course there was nothing more to be said. 

A couple of days afterwards, on August 30th, 
General Chaytor had a conference with all his 
Brigade and Infantry Commanders, and as he 
had heard General Allenby saying to me that he 
considered his information with regard to Jewish 
reinforcements better than mine, he remarked, 
**Well, Patterson, your information about the 
coming of the other Jewish Battalion was better 
than the Chief's, after all, for one of my officers 
has just come from England, and he tells me that 
a strong Jewish Battalion came out with him in 
the same ship and landed in Egypt, a couple of 
days ago.'' 

As I considered it only right to let the Com- 
mander-in-Chief know that the information he had 
received was not accurate, I wrote and told him 
that I understood that another Jewish Battalion 
some 1400 strong had already arrived in Egypt. 
In reply to this I got a memo from the Chief of 
Staff, Major General Louis Jean Bols, intimating 
that in future I was only to address the Com- 
mander-in-Chief through the ordinary channels of 
communication. It was evident from this that the 
Chief of StafP was not pleased that the Com- 
mander-in-Chief should have any sidelight from 
me on Jewish affairs. Of course this had long 



We Win Our First Honours 113 

been apparent, for anything I had previously writ- 
ten through the ordinary channels — no matter how 
important to the welfare of the Battalion — had 
invariably been returned to me, with the remark 
that it was not considered necessary to refer the 
matter further. 

Some months after my interview with the 
C-in-C, yet another thousand men arrived from 
England, and altogether there were over five 
thousand Jewish soldiers serving in the Jewish 
Units in Palestine. The formation of a Jewish 
Brigade had been the definite policy of the War 
Office, and an intimation to this effect had been 
sent to General Allenby. The Commander-in- 
Chief of the E. E. F. had himself written to me to 
say that a Jewish Brigade would be formed, yet 
this promise, which meant so much to the comfort 
and efficiency of the men, and to the prestige of 
Jews the world over, was never fulfilled ; instead 
we were pushed about from Brigade to Brigade, 
and from Division to Division in the most heart- 
breaking manner, with the result that we got all 
the kicks and none of the traditional halfpence! 
In the space of three months we were shunted 
about like so many cattle trucks and found our- 
selves, in that brief period, attached to no less 
than twelve different formations of the British 
Army! 

General Chaytor gave a great lift to the spirit 
of the Battalion when he conferred the Military 
Medal on Privates Sapiashvili and Gordon for 
their gallant conduct on the night patrol already 



114 With the Judeans in Palestine 

mentioned. We had a special parade in *'Salt*^ 
post redoubt after Divine Service on the first day 
of the Jewish New Year (Sept. 7, 1918). Before 
all their comrades the General recounted their 
gallant deeds, pinned the coveted ribbons on their 
breasts, and then ordered the Battalion to march 
past and salute — not himself, but the two men he 
had just decorated. From this moment General 
Chaytor had with him the heartfelt devotion of 
every man in the unit. A small thing can win the 
repect, good will, and devotion of a Eegiment, but 
it is not every General who has the knack of gain- 
ing it. 



CHAPTEE XV 

CAPTUEE OF THE UMM ESH SHERT FORD 

AS the date fixed for the great advance of the 
Army in Palestine drew near, certain parts 
^ of the Jordan Valley began to look very 
comical. Here and there would be seen a battery 
of artillery parked, or a cavalry regiment, with its 
horses tethered in neat and orderly array, in the 
most approved army stjde, bnt on closer inspec- 
tion both horses and guns were found to be merely 
dummies! Great camps were pitched, but there 
was not a soldier in them; fires were lighted all 
over the place at dusk, as if a mighty army were 
bivouacked round about, and every conceivable 
kind of bluff was put up in order to deceive the 
Turks, and make them think that the long ex- 
pected attack was to be made through Gilead, to 
effect a junction with the Arab Army of the Hed- 
jaz. The Jewish Battalion was even ordered to 
march and countermarch from Jericho to the 
Dead Sea by some wight at G. H. Q. who still re- 
membered us, but General Chaytor scotched this 
stunt, for of course he knew it was quite impossi- 
ble for us to guard our front throughout the night 
and march some forty miles by day as well, in 
that terrific heat. There were really very few 

115 



116 With the Judeans in Palestine 

troops in the Jordan Valley, if one considers the 
enemy force that could have been concentrated 
against us. According to General Allenby's 
despatch, there were some six thousand rifles, two 
thousand sabres, and seventy-four guns facing us 
in the Jordan Valley. 

General Allenby in his despatch of October 31, 
1918, writes : 

'*By reducing the strength of the troops in the Jordan 
Valley to a minimum" etc., and "To prevent the de- 
crease in strength in the Jordan Valley being discov- 
ered by the enemy I ordered Major General Sir Edward 
Chaytor, K. C. M. G., C. B., A. D. C, to carry out with 
the Australian and New Zealand Mounted Division, the 
20th Indian (Imperial Service) Infantry Brigade, the 
38th and 39th Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers, and the 
1st and 2nd Battalions British West Indies Regiment, a 
series of demonstrations with the object of inducing the 
enemy to believe that an attack East of the Jordan was 
intended, either in the direction of Madeba or Amman. 

**The enemy was thought to be anticipating an attack 
in these directions and every possible step was taken 
to strengthen his suspicions." 

As a keen observer on the spot, I can certify 
that General Chaytor carried out the task allotted 
to him in the best spirit of camouflage, and thor- 
oughly deceived and outwitted the enemy at all 
points. 

On Sept. 15th, the 39th Battalion Koyal Fusi- 
liers, under the command of Colonel Margolin, 
D. S. O., arrived in the Jordan Valley, and took 
up its position on the Auja in support of the 38th 
Battalion in the line. 



Capture of the Umm esh Shert Ford 117 

A couple of days before the big offensive, which 
began on Sept. 18th, General Allenby visited my 
Headquarters, where I presented all the officers 
not on duty to him. He took me a little apart and 
asked me if I was sure I could trust the men to 
fight, and I assured him that he need have no 
anxiety on that score, for the men were all right 
and would respond to any call when it was made. 
He then asked me if there was any other point I 
should like to bring to his notice : I told him that 
malaria was daily becoming more prevalent and 
I was losing two hundred men a week from this 
cause alone. I also pointed out that I did not 
think that the medical arrangements for the 
evacuation and care of the men were all that they 
should be. The General made a note of this in 
his book. 

The only result was that I got an irate letter 
from the Deputy-Adjutant General asking me for 
a full report as to why I had misinformed the 
Commander-in-Chief about my sick, and about 
medical matters generally, so that on the morn- 
ing of September 23rd, the day we were ordered 
to pursue the enemy, when I should have been 
solely devoted to the leading of my men, and all 
the problems pertaining thereto, I had to sit down 
and smooth the ruffled feathers of the Deputy- 
Adjutant General. I not only proved my case to 
the hilt, but emphasized it by giving further evi- 
dence which I had not troubled the C-in-C by 
recounting. 

General Chaytor specially warned us that, dur^ 



118 With the Judeans in Palestine 

ing the offensive on our left, we were to increase 
our patrols and harry the enemy as much as pos- 
sible, to keep him in his lines, and to prevent if 
possible any large force of Turks crossing from 
the east of the Jordan to reinforce their armies 
holding the line from the Jordan to the sea. This 
is how the official report runs : — 

**Chaytor's force in the Jordan Valley had so far con- 
fined itself to vigorous patrolling to insure that the 
enemy could make no move without their knowledge. The 
role of this composite force was to secure the right flank 
of the army and the Jordan crossings, to keep in close 
touch with the enemy and take advantage of any with- 
drawal on their part, but to run no risk of being in- 
volved with a more powerful foe too early in the battle. 
This difficult task was admirably carried out. ' ' 

During the nights of September 18th, 19th, 20th, 
and 21st, we made demonstrations against the 
Turkish positions along our front. Parties would 
crawl out into favourable positions, such as a fold 
in the ground, and open fire all down the line. This 
always made the Turks nervous, and their 
trenches would be manned, and every individual 
would blaze away for all he was worth. On the 
19th and 20th they got so '^ windy '* that they called 
on their artillery to put down a barrage to pre- 
vent us from making an assault. Each time the 
barrage was put down our men were well clear, 
and lay snug and safe until the enemy had use- 
lessly expended hundreds of rounds, and then they 
quietly returned to camp, not a whit the worse for 
all the cannonading. There was very little sleep 



Capture of the Umm esh Shert Ford 119 

on these nights for anyone, and the Jewish Bat- 
talion certainly did all that in it lay to further 
the intentions of the Commander-in-Chief by 
holding every Turk in the neighbourhood of the 
Jordan closely to his lines. On the 20th we pushed 
well up against the Turkish trenches, found them 
all manned and again drew heavy rifle, machine- 
gun, and artillery fire. We had a few men wounded 
in this affair. Why we had not a heavy casualty 
list on these occasions is a mystery to me, for 
the men had to advance in the open over a stretch 
of ground as level as a billiard table. 

Number 6 Trench Mortar Battery E. A. was 
under my command in the Mellahah, and I ordered 
this Battery to open fire on the Turkish position 
round Umm esh Shert, if we should find difficulty 
in ousting the enemy from this important place. 
I had arranged to attack this position on the 22nd 
September, but at midnight on the 21st my Intel- 
ligence Officer sent me news that the enemy's re- 
sistance in the trenches opposite Umm esh Shert 
Ford was weakening. I immediately ordered out 
my reserve, and sent them under Lieut. Cross to 
reinforce Major Neill, whose duty it was to push in 
the Turks, and take the Ford at the earliest pos- 
sible moment. I got favourable news by telephone 
of the steady advance of the men; trench after 
trench was occupied, and when I left my Head- 
quarters at 4 A. M. for the scene of the ^s;ht, I was 
able to report to General Chaytor's Staff Officer 
that we were almost in possession of the crossing. 

I galloped off as dawn was breaking, scrambled 



120 With the Judeans in Palestine 

up the cliffs and across the ground from which 
the Turks had fled, and arrived in time to go down 
with Major Neill, Captain Julian, and Lieuten- 
ants Jabotinsky and Cross, to take possession of 
this coveted passage over the Jordan. I may men- 
tion here that Jabotinsky had been attached to 
G. H. Q. for special work, but, as soon as the 
Battalion went into the line, he requested to be 
returned to duty in order to share in all our dan- 
gers and hardships. 

The moment we had secured the Umm esh Shert 
Ford I signalled the news to General Chaytor, 
who immediately took advantage of our capture 
by pushing mounted troops across the Jordan, 
thus outflanking the Turks, who held the foothills 
of Shunat Nimrin which barred the way to Es 
Salt. The 1st Australian Light Horse Brigade 
crossed while we covered the Ford with our rifles 
and machine-guns, and they never drew rein until 
Es Salt was reached that evening, where a large 
force of the enemy with guns, etc., was captured 
by the Anzac Mounted Division. That same after- 
noon, two companies of the 39th Battalion Eoyal 
Fusiliers moved up to our support, and took up 
position in the posts which we had vacated in the 
Mellahah. It is a curious fact that the whole 
movement of the British Army in Palestine, which 
swept the Turks out of the country, was actually 
pivoted on the sons of Israel, who were once again 
fighting the enemy, not far from the spot where 
their forefathers had crossed the Jordan under 
Joshua. 



CHAPTER XVI 

THE LOST TRANSPOET WAGONS 

MEANWHILE I was ordered to clear away 
the enemy believed to be still holding the 
ground to the north of our trenches 
round Red Hill ; I detailed Captain H. H. Harris 
and his Company for this duty, the remainder of 
the Battalion taking up position in the vacated 
Turkish trenches overlooking the Jordan. Lieut. 
Jabotinsky with his platoon took possession of 
Umm esh Shert and put the captured ford in a 
state of defence, making machine gun emplace- 
ments, etc., to cover the crossing. 

I myself with Captain Julian, Lieut. Cross, and 
a platoon reconnoitred up the river, for I had 
heard that there was a bridge in existence, which 
had been thrown across by the Turks in the neigh- 
bourhood of the ford, and I was anxious to find 
it if possible. After going some little way I 
found it was nearly eight a. m., and time to be 
getting back to my Battalion Headquarters, so I 
left Julian, Cross, and the patrol to push on and 
make what discoveries they could along the river. 
When I got back to my tent I found a telegram 
awaiting me from General Chaytor which in- 
formed me that I had been given command of a 

121 



122 With the Judeans in Palestine 

body of troops to be known officially as *^ Patter- 
son's Column.*' It was composed of the 38th and 
39th Battalions Royal Fusiliers, and was ordered 
to concentrate on the Auja Bridgehead. I handed 
over command of the 38th to Major Ripley, who 
was the next Senior Officer and issued the neces- 
sary concentration orders. 

Later on I rode out to view the position which 
we had wrested from the Turks on the Jordan, 
and on the way I was surprised to meet Captain 
Julian, being brought in wounded on a camel. He 
was in considerable pain, but quite cheery and 
able to give me a full account of what had hap- 
pened. It seems that soon after I had left them 
the party was ambushed by the Turks, who caught 
them in the neighbourhood of Red Hill, with ma- 
chine-gun and rifle fire. Julian, Cross, and Pri- 
vate Milderner fell; the remainder of the patrol 
melted into a fold of the ground and made their 
escape. Julian, although severely wounded in 
the foot, also managed to get away, aided by Cor- 
poral Elfman, who gallantly helped him to safety, 
although under heavy fire from the enemy. 

Reinforcements had been sent out as quickly 
as possible to the scene of the fight by the nearest 
Company, but by the time they arrived the Turks 
had gone. No trace could be found of Lieut. 
Cross's body, but Private Milderner was found 
lying dead where he fell. On receipt of this news 
I sent another party under Lieut. Bullock to give 
burial according to Jewish rites to the gallant 
man who had fallen, and to make a thorough 



The Lost Transport Wagons 123 

search of the locality for Lieut. Crosses body; 
but no trace of the missing officer could be 
found. Telegrams were dispatched to the 
hospitals at Amman, Deraa, and to Damascus, 
after we had captured that city, but nothing was 
known of him at any of these places, and in the 
end we all came to the sad conclusion that 
we had seen the last of poor Cross, and that 
the Turks must have thrown his body into the 
Jordan after he had died from his wounds. His 
loss cast a gloom over the Battalion. I was also 
exceedingly sorry to be deprived of Julian's serv- 
ices with the transport, just at that moment when 
we were ordered to start off in pursuit of the 
enemy, for he was an ideal Transport Officer, and 
never once let the Battalion down while he served 
in that capacity, and he had held this important 
position from the day he joined us. 

It was not long until we had a sharp reminder 
of his loss, for that same evening our transport 
trekked off and could not be found anywhere. 
Someone (I never could discover who), gave the 
Transport Sergeant orders to leave his lines on 
the Auja and report, with all wagons, etc., to 
Major Ripley in the Mellahah. In the darkness he 
failed to find the Major, and on the morning of 
the 23rd not a single soul in the Battalion knew 
anything about where the transport had gone, or 
how it could be found. They had completely van- 
ished from the ken of everybody, taking with 
them our food, forage, cooking pots, and spare 
ammunition. The new Transport Officer, Cap- 



124 With the Judeans in Palestine 

tain Cunningham, who had been detailed to take 
Captain Julian's place, was unable to find any 
trace of them when he went to take over charge. 
They had mysteriously disappeared from their 
bivouac and gone off into the blue. 

This was a very disturbing factor in the situa- 
tion, for we had orders to start oft" in pursuit of 
the enemy at two a. m. next morning. Cunning- 
ham, Quartermaster Smythe, and all available 
men who could be pressed into the service, were 
sent in every direction to run the transport to 
earth. Eventually Smythe came back to say that 
he had been tracking wagon wheels for at least 
five miles, but they could not be ours, for the 
tracks led steadily in a northerly direction to- 
wards the Turkish lines. After duly strafing 
Major Eipley for having, thus early in his com- 
mand, lost his transport, I set oft in quest of 
the rovers. 

Luckily my charger Betty was in splendid con- 
dition, and I certainly put her on her mettle that 
morning. I took up the trail that Smythe had 
abandoned, followed it for seven or eight miles 
at a steady canter, and then lost all trace on hard 
ground. I had to cast round in a big circle before 
I found it once more, then I went on again for 
another three or four miles when I met some Aus- 
tralians. I asked them if they had seen a column 
of wagons going northward and they said **No, we 
have been along here for a couple of miles, but 
we have seen nothing.'' 

This was very disheartening news, and I al- 



The Lost Transport Wagons 125 

most felt inclined to give up the quest in this 
direction and turn back; but having come so far, 
I made up my mind to go on, even to the Turkish 
lines themselves, before I gave up the hunt. I 
was then about eight miles short of the Turkish 
position, or what had been the Turkish position, 
at the foot of the hills towards which the tracks 
still led. When I had covered another few miles, 
to my inexpressible relief, I at last caught sight of 
the transport, steadily pursuing its way north- 
ward! 

I made Betty put on an extra spurt and soon 
caught them up. It is lucky that there was no grass 
about, or the prairie itself would have caught fire 
when I at last overtook the Transport Sergeant. 
The language addressed to the jackdaw by the 
Cardinal Lord Archbishop of Eheims was angel 
talk compared to mine. When I ordered him 
sharply to get back at once to where he came 
from, he was so confused that he promptly turned 
his horse round and began to ride off towards 
camp — leaving his baggage wagons still calmly 
proceeding in the opposite direction. I called 
the dazed Sergeant back, and told him very forc- 
ibly to halt the column, and take the wagons back 
as quickly as possible to his original camp. 

I was never able to get any satisfactory infor- 
mation from the Sergeant (who, by the way was a 
Welshman and a Christian) as to what induced 
him to trek off into the unknown in such a mad 
fashion. I can only imagine that the Devil, who 
lives in the Jordan Valley, had impersonated Ma- 



126 With the Judeans in Palestine 

jor Eipley, and had ordered the Sergeant to push 
for all he was worth for the Turkish lines, leav- 
ing us without food, water, cooking pots, or am- 
munition — in fact, leaving us ^'beggars by the 
wayside. ' ' 

My chase of the transport wasted some precious 
hours, but I was back in camp soon after ten a. m., 
where I found the Battalion full of bustle and ac- 
tivity, preparing for concentration on the Auja 
bridgehead. On my return to Headquarters I found 
that Major Eipley was ill and only fit for Hospital. 
He had had a most nerve-shattering time while 
commanding his section, for his posts were very 
much exposed, and there was always the dread 
and anxiety of an attack in overwhelming num- 
bers. Sleep rarely comes to soothe a man's nerves 
in such trying circumstances, especially in the 
awful heat we endured in the Mellahah; in fact. 
Major Ripley's features had wasted away so much 
owing to the worry and anxiety of all he had un- 
dergone, that he reminded me of nothing so much 
as one of the mummified birds I had once seen in 
a cave of upper Egypt. I never saw Major Ripley 
again in the Battalion, but I am glad to say he 
made an excellent recovery, and was eventually 
given a good staff job in Alexandria. I gave the 
command of the Battalion to Major Neill, and 
from that moment, I had no further anxieties, out- 
side my own province, with which to contend. 



CHAPTER XVII 

WE GO UP TO EAMOTH GILEAD 

WHEN I took command of ''the Column/' 
I chose Captain Douglas Leadley as my 
Staff Officer, and a better man it would be 
almost impossible to find. I never knew Leadley 
to forget anything, and it was a great relief to 
feel that when once I had given him any instruc- 
tions, I need have no further anxiety about them, 
for he was absolutely reliable and competent in 
every way. When Leadley came to me, Major 
Neill selected Captain T. B. Brown to replace him 
as Adjutant of the 38th Battalion, and an excel- 
lent Staff Officer he made, as far as I could judge. 
The concentration on the Auja Bridgehead pro- 
ceeded as rapidly as possible, for the Column had 
to move soon after midnight. I found that the 38th 
Battalion could not possibly concentrate in time, 
for Captain H. H. Harris's Company was many 
miles to the north, where it had been sent in 
pursuit of the enemy. I therefore ordered Major 
Neill to follow me as quickly as possible to Shunat 
Nimrin, a position on the Moab foothills, some ten 
miles to the eastward of the Auja. At two a. m. 

127 



128 With the Judeans in Palestine 

on the 24th, Column Headquarters and the 39th 
Battalion crossed the Jordan at the Auja Bridge- 
head, scrambled up the steep Jordan cliffs, and 
marched on towards Nimrin. 

General Chaytor had meanwhile ordered an ad- 
vance upon Es Salt (the ancient Ramoth Gilead) 
and Amman, with his whole force, which consisted 
of the Anzac Mounted Division (less one squad- 
ron), a field battery, a heavy battery, two moun- 
tain batteries, Patterson's Column, the 20th In- 
dian Infantry Brigade, and the 1st and 2nd Bat- 
talion British West Indies Regiment. The mounted 
troops pushed forward rapidly, and soon outdis- 
tanced the infantry and guns. The Anzacs were 
such gluttons for battle, that they broke down 
every resistance, and completely destroyed and 
broke up the enemy, before the Infantry could 
come into action. The 20th Indian Infantry and 
the guns followed the horsemen, for, from their 
position on the Jericho-Es Salt road, they were 
much better situated to take the lead than any 
other dismounted troops. 

My column struck the advancing troops at Nim- 
rin, where I was just in time to see General Chay- 
tor fly past in a motor car. The General always 
believed in being well to the front when there was 
a fight on, and has been known on more than one 
occasion, to be mixed up in the fray itself. My 
orders were to form the rearguard to Chaytor 's 
force and all day long the main column wound 
its way slowly past Nimrin until three o'clock in 
the afternoon of the 24th. I then gave the order 



We Go Up to Ramoth Gilead 129 

for the 39th to advance, and left orders for the 
38th, on arrival at Nimrin, to follow on to Es Salt. 

It was interesting to observe the strong posi- 
tions from which we had driven the Turks, and to 
see overturned cannon, limbers, wagons, and 
ammunition carts strewing the road; *^ Jericho 
Jane,'' an enormous gun that used to fire into 
Jericho, the Divisional Headquarters, and gener- 
ally rake us all round, was lying ignominiously on 
her back in a ditch; dead bodies of men, horses, 
and draught bullocks, made the world unpleasant 
in their vicinity ; Bedouins flocked around like lo- 
custs, looting machine guns, rifles, ammunition, 
and stores of all kinds, which had been abandoned 
by the Turks in their hasty flight. The Arabs 
in these parts had the time of their lives, for loot 
is to them as honey to the bee. 

General Chaytor had left word at Nimrin that 
he wished to see me, so I was anxious to get on to 
Es Salt as quickly as possible, where I hoped to 
find him. I therefore gave all necessary instruc- 
tions to Colonel Margolin, and, leaving Captain 
Leadley with him in case anything unforeseen 
should crop up, and he should require the assist- 
ance of my Staff Officer, I rode on as fast as 
possible to Es Salt, taking my groom with me. 
After great difficulty and much squeezing, we 
forced our way through the miles and miles of 
wagons, baggage, guns, etc., which were slowly 
and painfully crawling up the steep mountain 
side towards Es Salt. I arrived there at about 
nine p.m., but failed to find the General, who had 



130 With the Judeans in Palestine 

already pushed further ahead. I was hospitably 
entertained by the Indian Infantry Brigade, and 
afterwards turned aside, and, tethering my horse, 
lay down a little way off the road, with my sad- 
dle for my pillow, glad to have a blanket to wrap 
round me on these heights, which felt decidedly 
chilly after the suffocating heat of the Mellahah. 
I woke up in the middle of the night, just in time 
to recover Betty, who had broken loose, and was 
straying off towards a forage cart. Having tied 
her up, I settled down again and slept until dawn. 
I wondered in the night how it was that my bed 
was so warm, and as soon as daylight came I dis- 
covered the reason. I had been sleeping on a 
bed of dry stable litter! 

After an early cup of tea with the Indians, I 
pushed on through Es Salt to General Chaytor^s 
Headquarters which were just beyond. Here I 
found that the General had gone on to direct the 
operations which were then in progress round 
Amman. Major Anderson of his Staff provided 
me with an excellent breakfast, and soon after- 
wards we were joined by my friend Colonel Brux- 
ner, who had had a strenuous night marshalling 
the guns and transport on their toilsome journey 
up from the Valley. I received telegraphic in- 
struction from General Chaytor to make Es Salt 
my Headquarters and put it into a state of all- 
round defence. 

I put up my '' bivvy ^' a little way out of the 
town, under an enormous fig tree, then laden with 
delicious fruit, close to the Nimrin, which flowed 



We Go Up to Ramoth Gilead 131 

swiftly by, almost at the edge of our bivouac. Col- 
onel Margolin and the 39th took over Es Salt and 
at once occupied the commanding hills round 
about, where he was soon entrenched and ready 
to give the enemy a very warm reception in case 
of attack. 

The Turks had left a number of sick and 
wounded soldiers at this place in a dreadful state. 
Captain Redcliffe Salaman took these poor 
wretches in hand, and soon wrought a wonderful 
improvement in their condition. The town itself 
was in a state of indescribable filth, and had it 
not been for the unceasing efforts of Captain 
Salaman and the Sanitary Department which he 
organized, an outbreak of typhoid or other dread- 
ful disease must have ensued. No praise is too 
high for the work which Salaman did during the 
period he was in medical charge at Es Salt. 

Soon after we had established ourselves here, 
I found that the Bedouins were looting the aban- 
doned Turkish munitions, stores, etc., right and 
left ; as they were our allies I did not want to inter- 
fere without orders, so I reported the matter to 
General Chaytor. The General promptly wired 
me to stop all looting by these marauders — a pro- 
ceeding which annoyed them intensely. I had to 
send out strong parties from the 39th Battalion 
to patrol that part of the country towards Amman, 
and the whole of the road from Es Salt back 
to Nimrin had, in addition, to be watched and 
guarded. The 39th patrolled the country from 
Es Salt as far as the El Howeij Bridge, some six 



132 With the Judeans in Palestine 

miles south of Es Salt, while the 38th took up 
guard duty from this point to Nimrin. This was 
rather hard luck on the 38th, for they had almost 
reached Es Salt when the order to countermarch 
came. They had to turn and go back all that long 
weary way, practically without rest or food. 

It was a march and countermarch that would 
have reflected credit on the best marching Eegi- 
ment in the British Army, and no better testimo- 
nial could be given than that of Lieut. Cameron, 
a regular Highlander of the old school, who freely 
admitted that this was the very worst he had 
ever experienced in all his eighteen years of sol- 
diering. Cameron won the Military Cross, and 
also a bar thereto, while serving with the 38th 
Battalion. Major Neill afterwards told me that 
he received the greatest assistance, in getting the 
men along on this trying march, from Captain 
H. H. Harris, who had the arduous task of shep- 
herding the weary ones along with the rearguard. 

No doubt it was one of these laggards who, some 
weeks afterwards, wrote me a letter full of re- 
proaches, which made me laugh heartily, and 
helped to brighten the gloomy days through which 
I was then passing. I give a few extracts from a 
very lengthy epistle : — 

*'You kept us in torture for six and a half weeks at 
Nablus ; then we left Nablus and thought after this tor- 
ture you will send us for a rest, but no, you make us 
march to the Jordan in full marching order. You also 
gave us a bomb each man to put in our pocket so as to 
lighten the burden of the transport. You had consid- 



We Go Up to Ramoth Gilead 133 

eration for horses, but not for humans. We travelled 
like pedlers to the Jordan, living on fresh air. When 
we reached the Jordan, it was a grand place, was it not? 
It surprises me you could not pick out a worse place 
to send us. Is there any worse place than the Mellahah 
in this God-forsaken country? [Evidently a non-Zion- 
ist, this fellow!] You kept us in this hot hole for an- 
other six and a half weeks, no other troops ever being 
known to stay there for more than two or three weeks — 
but of course anywhere was good enough for the Jews. ' ' 

From the above it will be seen that at least some 
of the men were of the opinion that I was re- 
sponsible for their troubles, while all the time I 
was getting into the bad books of authority in 
my endeavours to get better treatment for them. 



CHAPTEE XVIII 

THE CROWN OF VICTORY 

THE moment things were satisfactorily set- 
tled in the neighbourhood of Es Salt, I hur- 
ried on to Amman. Jumping into a passing 
motor, I discovered that the name of the officer 
in the car was Lowe, and on asking him whether 
he was, by chance, any relation of a man I knew 
named Harry Lowe, he replied: '*I am his 
brother/^ 

On our arrival at Amman I found that General 
Chaytor^s camp was some distance beyond the 
town and close to the Hedjaz Eailway Station. 
Seeing the divisional flag flying over his tent, I 
made for it, and was delighted at last to run him 
to earth. I heartily congratulated him on the 
great victory he had won in such record time. In 
four days his troops had covered over sixty miles ; 
he had forced his way through the hills and moun- 
tains of Moab, a most difficult country, in the face 
of a superior force; he had captured the two 
ancient cities of Es Salt and Amman, got astride 
of the Hedjaz Eailway, and had completely routed 
the 4th Turkish Army. He had captured alto- 
gether some eleven thousand prisoners, some sixty 

184 




r. 



o < 






. 02 



The Croivn of Victory 135 

guns, about one hundred and fifty machine-guns, 
hundreds of tons of ammunition of all kinds, mil- 
lions of rounds of small arm ammunition, large 
quantities of railway rolling-stock, and all kinds 
of other material, foodstuffs, horses, mules, trans- 
port wagons, motor lorries, etc. — altogether as 
brilliant a piece of work as was done in this, or 
any other theatre of the Great War. 

I would have those who pin their faith to the 
sword make a special note of the fact that not a 
single sabre or lance was carried by the mounted 
men. The hefty Anzac was able to do all that 
was wanted by the combination of man, horse, and 
rifle. Of course, Chaytor's Force lacked one great 
weapon, and that was a war correspondent to 
write up its deeds ! 

While I was in General Chay tor's camp, a sad 
accident happened. A Signalling Sergeant quite 
close to us was examining a ^^dud'' serial bomb, 
when it exploded in his hands, killing him, and 
wounding several others. 

I found Amman (the Philadelphia of the Eo- 
mans) rich in old Graeco-Eoman architectural 
remains. A mighty amphitheatre, still in a fairly 
good state of preservation, stands out boldly 
amidst the ruins. Judging by the number of shat- 
tered columns and broken arches, strewn about 
a wide area, it must have been a very important 
city in the days when Eome was mistress of the 
world. Little or nothing of the old Eabbah Am- 
nion is left. The walls of a very ancient citadel 
still crown a hill top close by the Eoman city, but 



136 With the Judeans in Palestine 

whether it is the citadel which so long resisted 
Joab, or a later structure, I cannot say. 

I remained at Amman all night, in the shadow 
of the great ruined amphitheatre. Once it must 
have rocked to the roar of the multitude encir- 
cling its spacious arena. Now all was silent. Only 
bats and owls circled through its broken arches, 
or flew from its tilted columns, alarmed perchance 
by the curse of an Australian trooper sleeping 
uneasily amidst its ruins. While the bivouac fires 
yet flickered on this hoary pile, I sought the 
shelter of a motor lorry in which, rolled in a 
blanket, I lay snug and warm throughout the 
night. 

From my own observation I can testify that 
the words of the Prophet Ezekiel were literally 
fulfilled when he wrote : '^ And I will make Rabbah 
(Ammon) a stable for camels, and the Ammon- 
ites a couching place for flocks.*' — Ezek. xxv. 5. 
It must have been a very pleasant city in the old 
days, and I see no reason why its glories should 
not be revived under a stable form of government. 
The country all round is fruitful, and its waters 
sweet and abundant. In the present straggling 
town there is a large colony of Circassians and, 
in the two previous raids made by the British 
on this place, these people had in each case 
made a treacherous attack on our rear guard. 
The New Zealand Mounted Rifles suffered 
somewhat severely in the raid made on March 30, 
1918. 

I left the ancient capital of the Ammonites soon 



The Crown of Victory 137 

after daybreak and, as I joumed towards Es 
Salt, I had a magnificent view of the snowcapped 
Lebanons away in the far distance, while Gilead 
and Bashan lay spread out before me to the foot of 
Mount Hermon. Es Salt and the hills surround- 
ing it form the gateway to a vast rich hinterland. 
I have never seen grapes as large as those that 
grow in Gilead, or tasted any to compare with 
them in flavour. Figs, too, were delicious and 
abundant, in and about Es Salt. 

Eumours now began to get about that the Turk- 
ish force, still on the Hedjaz Railway to the south 
of Amman, would attempt to break through, and 
try to escape northwards to Damascus by way of 
Nimrin. General Chaytor ordered me to take 
steps to meet such an emergency, so I wired to 
Major Neill to put the place in a state of defence, 
and on Sept. 28th, I proceeded there myself and 
resumed command of the Battalion. 

While Chaytor 's Force was holding the enemy 
on the Jordan and, later, chasing him through 
the Moab hills, the C.-in-C. was using the bulk of 
his forces in destroying the enemy holding the 
country to the west of the Jordan, and a very 
brief account of the operations may prove interest- 
ing to the reader. In the neighbourhood of Jaffa 
a Franco-British force was assembled, consisting 
of five Divisions of Infantry, a French detachment 
about 4,000 strong, the 5th Australian Light Horse 
Brigade, two brigades of Mountain Artillery, and 
eighteen batteries of heavy and siege artillery. 
Carefully concealed in the orange and olive groves 



138 With the Judeans in Palestine 

round about Jaffa and Ludd, lay the 4th and 5th 
Cavalry Divisions, the Australian Mounted Divi- 
sion (less one Brigade), and four squadrons of 
French Colonial Cavalry (Spahis and Chasseurs 
d'Afrique). All these were ready to dash north 
the moment the Infantry and Artillery had broken 
a gap in the enemy's line to the north of Jaffa. 
With this highly mobile force a brilliant victory 
was achieved, but of course the historian will not 
give to the E. E. F. campaign the extravagant 
praise which has been lavished upon it by an ill- 
informed public, ignorant as yet of the fact that, 
in the field of operations, the strength of the Brit- 
ish to that of the Turk, was as that of a tiger to a 
tom cat. 

The bulk of the Turkish forces were on, or 
south of, a line drawn from Jisr ed Damie on the 
Jordan through Nablus, and Tul Keram, to the 
Mediterranean. The Turk's fighting strength on 
this front was roughly 17,000 Infantry, 1,000 Cav- 
alry, and 266 guns. His line of communication 
was long and bad. He was about 1,200 miles from 
his Base at Constantinople, and owing to incom- 
plete tunnels at Amanus and Taurus, and a change 
of gauge at Ryak, there were no less than three 
bad breaks in the single line of railway which 
had to carry his reinforcements, munitions, equip- 
ment, and food, both to the Palestinian and Mes- 
opotamian fronts. His troops were badly fed and 
badly led ; medical arrangements were very poor ; 
there was considerable friction between the 
Turks and Germans, and the Turkish Army 



The Crown of Victory 139 

was composed of a mixture of races, many of 
them hating their masters with a fierce hatred. 
Here were all the elements of a debacle on a 
grand scale. 

On the morning of September 19th, one of the 
most triumphant cavalry marches ever recorded 
in the world ^s history began at Jatfa, and before 
the troops engaged in it drew rein in far-off 
Aleppo five weeks later, they had covered some 
five hundred miles through an enemy's country, 
captured or destroyed over 50,000 Turks, seized 
Damascus, Beyrout, and Aleppo, and brought to 
an inglorious end the Ottoman Empire. This was 
no mean record for a mere handful of mounted 
men to accomplish. We must not forget, how- 
ever, that without the lavish help of the other 
arms. Infantry, Artillery, and especially the Air 
Force, victory on such a colossal scale could not 
have been achieved. 

It almost seems as if this crowning victory 
had been preordained to take place in the year 
1918. Everybody knows that the Jewish era dif- 
fers from the Christian era, but perhaps not so 
many are aware that the Jewish year 5679 cor- 
responds to the year 1918 of our era. A pecul- 
iarity of the Hebrew language is that every num- 
eral has a special meaning other than that 
connected with time or figures. In the dim and 
distant past when seers, sages, and scribes were 
devoutly engaged in evolving such things, was it 
even then preordained that this crowning vic- 
tory, this victory which will surely hasten the 



j 

140 With the Judeans in Palestine i 

i 

restoration of Israel, should take place in the | 

year 5679? However that may be, it is certainly ' 

extraordinary that the figures 5, 6, 7, 9, being in- ] 

terpreted should mean Ila atereth, *' Crown of i 

Victory/' j 



CHAPTER XIX 

THE STRATEGICAL VALUE OF PALESTINE 

WHEN Turkey, unfortunately for herself, 
ranged her forces on the side of our ene- 
mies in the Great War, she severed a 
friendship which had lasted for close on a cen- 
tury. Our policy had for many years been to up- 
hold the integrity of the Ottoman Empire because, 
with that Power holding Palestine, our Egyptian 
interests were quite safe. Now that the Turkish 
Empire has practically ceased to exist, Palestine 
becomes of cardinal importance to our Eastern 
interests. 

Situated as it is at the gate of the three conti- 
nents of Europe, Asia, and Africa, its strategical, 
political, and economic importance is beyond com- 
putation, and out of all proportion to the size of 
this diminutive country. Students of strategy 
and military history will agree that Palestine, 
although some distance from the Suez Canal re- 
gion, dominates that main artery of our trade and 
commerce. The eastern boundary of Egypt, run- 
ning from Rafa on the Mediterranean to Akaba 
on the Gulf of that name in the Red Sea, is, from 

141 



142 With the Jiideans in Palestine 

a military point of view, worthless. History tells 
us that all down the ages armies have crossed the 
Sinai Desert and worked their will on the dwellers 
by the Nile. Early in the Great War we ourselves 
were unable to hold this Egyptian frontier and 
were forced to retire to the line of the Suez Canal. 
It is true we defeated the Turks there and drove 
them out of Egypt, but the risk to our communica- 
tions was very grave. It is a risk that should 
never again be taken and for the future the Suez 
Canal must be defended, at all events on the east- 
ern side, from its strategical frontier — Palestine. 
With a friendly people established in the Judean 
strongholds and with sea power in our hands, 
the invasion of Egypt from the east or north 
would be a well-nigh impossible enterprise. 

It was always a cause of surprise to me that 
we did not very early in the war, seize and fortify 
the harbours of Haifa and Jaffa. This might 
easily have been done, as they were practically 
undefended and the people were in their hearts 
pro-British. Even Gaza could have been occupied 
and fortified in the early days. With these three 
towns in our hands, no Turkish force could have 
been organised in Palestine or used against Egypt. 
No army could possibly march down the maritime 
plain with these occupied towns menacing their 
Cank, while the other route to Egypt by the east- 
ward of the Jordan Vallej^ is almost impossible 
for a large army. Some eighty years ago Ibrahim 
Pasha was forced to retire to Egypt from Damas- 
cus by this route, because we held the coast ports. 



The Strategical Value of Palestine 143 

He left the ancient capital of Syria with some 
eighty thousand men and, although he fought no 
battle on the way, his losses from sickness, hunger, 
thirst, and fatigue amounted to over sixty-five 
thousand men. This gives one some little idea of 
the chance we missed in not making adequate use 
of our sea power by seizing the coast towns in 
the Levant during the Great War. 

The physical conformation of Palestine adds 
enormously to its strategical strength. The coun- 
try is divided into four longitudinal belts running 
practically throughout the length of the country 
from north to south. Along the sea coast run the 
narrow maritime plains of Philistia, Sharon, and 
Acre. These plains stretch from the borders of 
Egypt to the mountains of Lebanon. The next 
belt of country consists of the continuation of 
the Lebanon range, which runs down practically 
unbroken through central Palestine, losing itself 
in the southern desert. This hilly range consti- 
tutes the heart of the Holy Land and comprises 
the provinces of Galilee, Samaria, and Judea. The 
only complete break in this range occurs between 
Galilee and Samaria, where the Plain of Esdrae- 
lon and the Valley of Jezreel cut right across and 
leave an open doorway from east to west. Through 
this gap from time immemorial armies have 
marched and countermarched to and from Egypt. 
The next belt of country is the great depression 
of the Jordan Valley, the deepest known in the 
world, and runs from *Hhe waters of Merom^' 
near the foothills of Hermon, where it is on a 



144 With the Judeans in Palestine 

level with the Mediterranean, to the Dead Sea 
where it is nearly 1300 feet below sea-level. To 
the eastward of the Jordan Valley runs the table- 
land of the Hauran, Gilead, and Moab. This 
rich belt of territory is from twenty to sixty 
miles wide and ranges from two thousand to four 
thousand feet above sea level. It loses itself to 
the south and east in the Arabian and Syrian des- 
erts. 

The natural frontiers of Palestine are the Medi- 
terranean on the west, the Syrian desert to the 
east, the Arabian and Sinai deserts to the south, 
and the difficult mountain passes of the Lebanon 
to the north. Next to the sea no better frontiers 
can be found than mountain passes and deserts. 
It will, therefore, be seen that if Palestine is 
given anything like her biblical frontiers, troops 
could readily be placed on any threatened point 
and practically make the invasion of the country 
an impossibility. As a matter of fact, a small na- 
tional army in Palestine would make that country 
almost as impregnable as are the cantons of 
Switzerland. 

It is of the first importance to British interests 
to further the creation of a friendly State in Pal- 
estine, which would act as a buffer between her- 
self and any aggressive neighbour to the north or 
east. The greatest soldiers and statesmen of the 
past realized that, in order to obtain dominion 
over the East, it was first of all necessary to se- 
cure the friendly co-operation of the people of 
Palestine. Alexander the Great knew what a 



The Strategical Value of Palestine 145 

help to his Greek Empire of the East the Jews 
would be. He therefore showed them the greatest 
friendship, and allowed them every possible civil 
and religious liberty. Later on, when Palestine 
came under the dominion of Eome, Julius Caesar, 
the first and greatest of the Koman Emperors, 
realized so fully that without a friendly Pales- 
tine he could not hope to overthrow the Parthians 
and Persians to the eastward, that, in order to ob- 
tain that friendship of the Jews, he freed Pales- 
tine from tribute, withdrew his legions from the 
country, exempted Jews from serving in the army, 
and allowed them full liberty of conscience, not 
only in Palestine but throughout the entire Em- 
pire. 

Coming down to more modern times, we find 
Napoleon following as far as possible the policy 
of his two great predecessors. At one time, early 
in his career, he made an effort to restore the 
Jews to Palestine, and he would probably have 
been successful in his scheme, and made himself 
ruler of a French Empire in the East, only, un- 
fortunately for him. Nelson, at the battle of the 
Nile, deprived him of the command of the sea. 
Nothing daunted by this, however, he marched his 
soldiers through the Sinai Desert and subdued 
practically all Palestine, but, owing to British sea 
power, we were able to throw troops into Acre, 
and by his defeat at the famous siege of that 
place. Napoleon's eastern ambitions came to an 
end. 

Great as was the importance of a friendly Pales- 



146 With the Judeans in Palestine 

tine to the Greek and Eoman Empire, a friendly 
Palestine to-day is of immensely more impor- 
tance to the peace and prosperity of the British 
Empire. Our statesmen were, therefore, but fol- 
lowing in the footsteps of the greatest men of the 
past when they issued the world-famous Balfour 
Declaration, pledging England to use her best 
endeavours to establish a National Home in Pal- 
estine for the Jewish people. It is useless to deny 
the fact that England is not nearly so popular 
in the Near East as she was thirty or forty years 
ago. The Egyptians have shown us pretty clearly 
that they have no love for us, while it is very evi- 
dent that the Arab kingdoms have ambitions of 
their own in those regions, which might prove a 
very grave menace to our eastern communications. 
Naturally, Turkey, or what is left of that once 
great Empire, realizes that it is to England that 
she owes her downfall, while the policy of Greece, 
at the moment at all events, also runs counter to 
our own. It is very necessary, therefore, that 
Palestine should be colonised by a people whose 
interests will go hand in hand with those of Eng- 
land and who will readily grasp at union with 
the British Empire. 

The Jews are the only people who fuljBll these 
conditions. They have ever looked upon Palestine 
as their natural heritage, and although they were 
ruthlessly torn from it some two thousand years 
ago, yet through all the terrible years of their 
exile they have never lost the imperishable hope 
of a return to the Land of Promise. They have al- 



The Strategical Value of Palestine 147 

ways had a friendly feeling for this country and, 
if England now deals justly with Israel, this 
friendly feeling will be increased tenfold. They 
would be quite unable to stand alone in Palestine 
for some time, and therefore their one aim and 
object would be to co-operate wholeheartedly with 
the Power that not only had reinstated them 
in their own land, but whose strong arm was ade- 
quate to protect them from the encroachments 
and aggressions of neighbouring states. It will 
undoubtedly be their policy to walk hand in hand 
with England. British and Jewish interests are 
so similar and so interwoven that they fit into each 
other as the hand does the glove. In short, when a 
friendly Jewish State becomes an accomplished 
fact, then the vital interests of the British Empire 
in those regions will be unassailable. 



CHAPTER XX 

HOSPITAL SCANDAL AT JERUSALEM 

IT will be remembered that I bad been ordered 
to proceed to Nimrin to intercept any Turks 
who might attempt to break through from the 
south. When I reached my camp I found about 
fifteen hundred Turkish prisoners already con- 
centrated there ; hundreds of them were too feeble 
and ill to be marched further, but about a thou- 
sand were considered fit enough to go on, and 
these were escorted by Captain Harris and a small 
detachment of the 38th to Jericho, and, after a 
short rest there, on to the prisoners' cage at Ludd. 
On October 1st, Battalion Headquarters moved to 
Jerusalem, and on the way thither it was pitiful 
to see these unfortunate Turkish prisoners, starv- 
ing and sick, crawling at a snaiPs pace up the 
steep ascent from the Jordan Valley through the 
Judean wilderness; many fell by the way and 
died from sheer exhaustion. The medical arrange- 
ments were quite inadequate to cope even with 
our own sick, who now began to feel the effect of 
the poisonous Mellahah, and went down daily by 
scores. 

Our new camp was situated about a mile outside 
the walls of Jerusalem, to the southward, on the 

148 



Hospital Scandal at Jerusalem 149 

Hebron road, and by the time we reached it, hun- 
dreds of the men, exhausted and worn out from 
the effects of their terrible experiences in the 
Jordan Valley, were ill with malaria; practically 
every officer also was struck down with the same 
fell disease. I myself had been far from well 
throughout the recent operations, but I manas^ed, 
with the skillful aid of our Medical Officer, Cap- 
tain Haldin Davis, to keep going. 

Unfortunately, just before we arrived in Camp, 
there had been a terrific downpour of rain, which 
had thoroughly soaked the ground, and as there 
was no hospital accommodation available, the un- 
fortunate patients had to lie on the wet earth, with 
only one blanket, and no medical comforts or 
treatment. There were no nurses or orderlies, 
and the men received no attention of any kind, 
except such as could be given by those of their 
comrades who were still able to move about. As 
a result of this lamentable state of affairs, which 
could easily have been prevented by a little 
forethought on the part of the Staff, many 
died of malaria and pneumonia, and one poor fel- 
low killed himself by cutting his throat in his 
delirium. 

Captain Davis had been taken ill at Nimrin, 
and removed in an ambulance to hospital. I made 
urgent appeals for another doctor, but without 
avail, and it was nearly a whole year before the 
authorities thought it worth while to provide a 
medical officer for this Jewish Battalion, which at 
one time was almost two thousand strong. Not 



150 With the Judeans in Palestine 

only were the Jewish troops unable to find hos- 
pital accommodation, but hundreds of others 
also — British, Australian, New Zealand, and 
Indian. The whole thing was a grave scandal, 
which must be laid at the door of the responsible 
muddlers. 

It was distressing to see the German Hospice 
on the Mount of Olives, a building which was 
absolutely ideal for a hospital, used for Staff pur- 
poses, while the sick and wounded men, who had 
suffered all the hardships, and done all the fight- 
ing, were allowed to lie about on the wet ground, 
in and around Jerusalem. The muddle was not 
the fault of the few medical men on the spot, for 
they worked like slaves. The whole of the blame 
for this wanton lack of organisation rests with 
G. H. Q. I had written in the previous July rec- 
ommending that hospital accommodation should 
be provided at Jerusalem for Jewish troops, but 
no notice was taken of my recommendation. If 
this had been acted upon, many deaths and much 
unnecessary suffering would have been avoided. 
In my own Battalion we lost over a score of men 
in this way, who, I am convinced, would not have 
died if proper hospital arrangements had been 
available and, had it not been for the timely ar- 
rival of Captain Salaman, E. A. M. C. with the 
39th Battalion, to whom I turned over all my 
sick, the death roll would in all probability have 
been much greater. The Battalion numbers, ow- 
ing to the hardships we had undergone, were re- 
duced from a strength of nearly one thousand, to 



Hospital Scandal at Jerusalem 151 

about six officers and less than one hundred and 
fifty men. 

I can illustrate the pettiness of at least some of 
the G. H. Q. staff no better than by giving the 
following correspondence. It will be remembered 
that I had reported to General Allenby in the Jor- 
dan Valley that the medical arrangements were 
not good. This apparently displeased some of 
the Staff for they hunted up a private telegram 
which I had sent some months previously (on 
July 18th) addressed to the Secretary, Medical 
Committee, Jewish Kegiment, London, in which 
I had said : *' You should see Sir Nevil Macready. 
Am strongly advising base to be at Jerusalem.'^ 

On discovering this mare's nest the D. A. G. 
sent the following memo to General Chaytor : 

''A. 13780. 
' ' Subject : Medical Arrangements for Jewish Battalions. 

''To General Chaytor, 
''Headquarters, Chaytor 's Force. 
"Please find attached herewith a copy of a telegram 
purporting to have been sent by the officer commanding 
38th Royal Fusiliers. 

"Please call upon this officer to furnish his reasons, 
and such explanations as he may have to offer for 
advising a course of action which concerns the C-in-C 
under whom he is serving, without reference to, or ob- 
taining permission from the C-in-C. 

(Signed) "Major General, D. A. G. 
"G. H. Q., 1st Echelon, 
"Sept. 17, 1918.'' 

All this ado because I had simply sent a private 
telegram to the Jewish Hospital Committee 



152 With the Judeans in Palestine 

months before to say I was advising a hospital 
base to be set up at Jerusalem! This telegram 
was in reply to a cable from the Committee in Lon- 
don, asking if special hospital accommodation 
could be provided for Jewish soldiers. From the 
date on this memo it will be seen that G. H. Q. 
thought fit to send out such a communication on 
the very eve of the great advance. It would have 
been much more useful if the Deputy Adjutant 
General had devoted his attention to providing 
hospital accom^modation for the unfortunate sick 
and wounded, instead of choosing such a moment 
to harry troops in the field engaged in a great 
offensive, the success of which meant everything 
to England. There was no excuse whatever for 
this memo, because on June 26, 1918, immediately 
on receipt of the cable from the Hospital Com- 
mittee, I had sent the following to G. H. Q.: 

''38th Battn. E. F., 

''No. A/412/1/3. 

"31st. Inf. Bdg. No. 57d. 

"10th. Divn. No. 1324A. 

"XXCorpsNo. P. C. A. 565. 

"G. H. Q. 1st Echekn No. a/13780. 
"HeadQ. 31st Inf. Bdg. 

"I have received the following cable from the Hon. 
Sec. Medical Committee for Jewish Units : 

" 'The Matron-in-Chief, Q. A. I. M. N. S. sanctions 
Jewish Nursing Staff for Service in Palestine. Can you 
arrange Jewish wards in existing military Hospitals or 
other special provision? Committee awaits reply.' 

"With reference to the above cable I have to state that 
when I was organizing the Jewish Units in England, I 
had recommended a Jewish Base Hospital, and the A. G., 



Hospital Scandal at Jerusalem 153 

Sir N. Macready, had sanctioned this, and given instruc- 
tions, after I left England for Egypt, that it was to be 
based at Plymouth. 

''The A. G. probably misunderstood my intention when 
he based it at Plymouth, as I had intended that the Hos- 
pital should be based in Egypt or Palestine. I there- 
fore wrote home and suggested that there was no need 
for a special Jewish Hospital in England. 

"I have no doubt that the above cable is the result of 
some negotiation with the A. G., and I would suggest 
that this matter be referred to G. H. Q., 1st. Echelon, 
so that they may get into touch with the W. 0., and find 
out what has been decided upon in this question. Per- 
sonally I would recommend that the Hospital shoxdd he 
at Jerusalem. 

(Signed) "J. H. Patterson, Lt.-Colonel, 

"Commanding 38th. Battn., R. F. 
"In the Field, 26/6/18." 

To the above I received the following reply : 

' ' Subject : Jewish Wards, ' ' A/13780. 

and Military Hospitals. 
"H. Q., 20th. Corps. 

"With reference to your memo. No. P. C. A. 565, dated 
30/6/18, and attached correspondence regarding the 
question of Jewish wards in Military Hospitals, all Jew- 
ish soldiers will be sent to one particular Ward in the 
27th General Hospital, as long as the casualty rate allows 
of this procedure being followed. 

(Signed) "F. Dalrymple, Lt.-Colonel, A.A.G. 

for D. A. G. 
"G. H. Q., 1st. Echelon, 

"10/7/18." 

It will be seen, therefore, that if the D. A. G. 
had only known what was going on in his own 
office, there would have been no need for him to 
trump up this petty inquisition, or trouble any- 



154 With the Judeans in Palestine 

body for an explanation of a private telegram 
which had been sent to London a couple of months 
previously. General Chaytor had the good sense 
to retain the D. A. G.'s memo until active opera- 
tions were over, upon which he sent it on to me. 
As an explanation had to be given, the following 
is a copy of my reply : 



''Headquarters, Chaytor 's Force, 

''A/412/1/3. 

''With reference to your M. C. 412, dated 13/10/18 
re medical arrangements for Jewish Battalions, I think 
that perhaps it will explain the situation if I point out 
that I was in direct touch with the War Office on all 
questions affecting the Jewish Battalions, and I had sev- 
eral interviews with Sir Nevil Macready on matters relat- 
ing to this Jewish movement ; in fact, I was looked upon 
in England as the responsible leader and I had every 
conceivable kind of case to investigate and decide. I had 
already told Sir Nevil Macready my views while in Eng- 
land re Hospital for Jewish soldiers, and when I got a 
cable from this unofficial medical committee, I replied in 
a private cable recommending them to consult him, and 
stating my own private views on the question. 

' ' I certainly do not consider this private expression of 
opinion as ' advising a course of action, ' and when I sent 
the cable nothing was further from my mind. I simply 
referred the Committee to Sir Nevil Macready, with 
whom I had already discussed the matter, and said what 
I personally thought the best place for a base. 

"Naturally no action could be taken without consult- 
ing the C-in-C, E. E. F. ; as a matter of fact, I did for- 
ward a copy of this telegram to G. H. Q,, and also a 
letter in which I recommended Jerusalem as a base. 

"I attach copy of my letter, and at the same time I 
regret that my advice re Hospital at Jerusalem was not 



Hospital Scandal at Jerusalem 155 

taken. If a Jewish Hospital had been established there, 
before the recent operations took place, much unneces- 
sary suffering and many deaths would have been avoided. 
Men of the Jewish Battalions, who were very ill indeed, 
were lying about in hundreds on wet ground in Jerusa- 
lem, because there was no room for them in the over- 
crowded Hospitals, and it was quite impossible to get our 
sick evacuated for days after they had really become cot 
cases. 

' ' It was no fault of the Medical Officers on the spot ; 
it was simply impossible to cope with the sick for want of 
Medical Officers and Hospital accommodation. I may 
mention that of the Battalion under my command alone 
there are 27 officers and 824 other ranks in Hospital, as 
a result of the Jordan Valley and subsequent operations. 

''In conclusion I must say I am somewhat surprised 
that a private communication which I sent to a private 
individual in July last should be produced at this stage. 

''I again and most emphatically state that I advised 
no course of action, merely gave my private opinion, and 
had no idea of any such action when I sent the cable. 
(Signed) " J. H. Patterson, Lt.-Colonel, 
''Commanding 38th. Bn. Koyal Fusiliers. 
"In the Field, 
"19/10/18.'' 

As a result of the representations made by the 
Medical Committee in England on behalf of the 
Jewish Battalions, a Staff of Jewish Nurses, in 
charge of Sister Oppenheimer, were sent out to 
the 27th General Hospital at Abbasieh, near 
Cairo, and I have on many occasions heard ex- 
pressions of gratitude showered on these nurses 
by men who had been under their care. It will 
be remembered that a number of Palestinian Jew- 
ish ladies volunteered for nursing service as soon 



156 With the Judeans in Palestine 

as the British occupied Jaffa and Jerusalem. I 
had strongly urged that their offer of service 
should be accepted and that they should be taken 
on and trained, for I foresaw that they would be 
required as soon as a determined effort to oust 
the Turk from Palestine was made. Unfortu- 
nately my advice was not taken for, as I have 
already shown, they were sadly needed in Jerusa- 
lem. Later on, about half a dozen Jewish ladies, 
including the Misses Berline, who were well known 
in Jaffa and Jerusalem, were enrolled and at- 
tached to the General Hospital at Belah. I went 
there on more than one occasion to see my men, 
and on my enquiring from the Matron in Charge 
how the Jewish nurses were getting on she told 
me that she had never had better or more consci- 
entious workers under her in all her experience. 
It was deplorable that the Staff had ignored the 
voluntary offer of the Jewish ladies until it was 
almost too late to make use of their services. 



CHAPTER XXI 

LIFE AT LUDD 

ON October 9th the battered remnant of the 
Battalion moved from Jerusalem to Lndd 
by rail, where it was taken on the strength 
of Line of Communication troops for garrison 
duties. When we heard that we were to be sev- 
ered from the Anzacs our feeling was one of 
regret, for every individual in the Battalion had 
the greatest admiration, respect, and affection 
for General Chaytor and his Staff, and, in fact, a 
feeling of real comradeship for every officer and 
man in the Anzac Mounted Division. My sick and 
ailing could not even yet be taken into Hospital 
owing to lack of accommodation, so I left them 
attached to the 39th Battalion, under the care of 
Captain Salaman, R. A. M. C. 

Our transport had been ordered to proceed 
from Jerusalem to Ludd by road on Oct. 5th, but, 
as the animals were worn to mere skin and bone 
by hard work, and nearly all the drivers were 
down with malaria, I represented to the authori- 
ties that it would be impossible for them to move 
for at least a week, so they remained in Jerusalem 
for some days after Battalion Headquarters had 

167 



158 With the Judeans in Palestine 

left the City. When eventually the transport 
marched into Ludd I found hoth animals and men 
in a most pitiable condition. One of my best 
N. C. O.s, Corporal Lloyd, was delirious with 
fever, and several other men, who should have 
gone into Hospital at Jerusalem, but were unable 
to gain admission, were brought down on the 
wagons. All these I sent into the local hospital; 
Corporal Lloyd unfortunately did not recover, 
and died soon after he was admitted. Of the half 
dozen officers who had so far escaped the malaria, 
one after another went down and were carried 
off to Hospital, until, out of the whole Battalion, 
only Captain Leadle}^ Lieut. Bullock, and myself 
were left in Camp! Major Neill was one of the 
last to succumb, and his attack was so severe that 
his life was despaired of. He was on the ^dan- 
gerously ilP' list for some time, but fortunately 
recovered. 

Day after day the few remaining men we had 
left went to the Hospital until, in the end, I was 
put to such straits that I had to appeal once more 
to the Australians, who had a reinforcement camp 
near us under the command of Major Ferguson. 
I rode over and told him the difficulty I had in 
finding men even to feed my animals, and asked 
him to spare me a score of troopers to help with 
the exercising, watering, and grooming, etc., of 
the transport animals. As usual the Australians 
were all out to help, and readily gave me all the 
assistance I asked for. 

Soon after the 38th Battalion left Jerusalem, 



Life at Ludd 159 

Colonel Margolin also received orders to proceed 
to Ludd, although it was well known that hun- 
dreds of sick were in the camp. What would have 
happened to these unfortunate sufferers if he had 
oheyed orders and marched away leaving them to 
their fate, sick and helpless as they were, I shall 
leave the reader to imagine. Luckily for these 
poor fellows Colonel Margolin refused to leave 
until such time as they could be accommodated in 
Hospital. Eventually he succeeded in getting his 
men into medical wards, and then he, and what 
was left of his Battalion, came and camped within 
a mile of us at Surafend, a village between Ludd 
and Jaffa. 

On the evening of the 22nd October, Colonel 
Margolin and Captain Salaman rode into my camp 
and complained to me of the discrimination and 
unfair treatment to which the Jewish soldiers 
were being subjected in the hospitals — giving me 
various instances to illustrate certain of their 
statements. I, as the Senior officer of the Jewish 
Battalions, not being myself a Jew, was deeply 
hurt at the un-English methods adopted towards 
men who had done so well in the field in Eng- 
land's cause, and felt that I would not be doing 
my duty to those under my command, and to 
Jewry generally, unless I protested against this 
unfair discrimination. I considered that the best 
way of bringing matters to a head was by request- 
ing to be relieved of my command as a protest 
against the anti-Jewish policy. I accordingly sent 
forward my resignation. This found its way to 



160 With the Judeans in Palestine 

G. H. Q., but, as certain individuals there had no 
desire to see me land unmuzzled in England, my 
resignation was not accepted. Some of the Staff 
knew only too well that, if I were free to return 
to England, I would at once let the authorities 
there know that their representatives in Palestine 
were not carrying out the declared policy of the 
Imperial Government, but, on the contrary, were 
doing their best to make of the Balfour Declara- 
tion a mere ^* scrap of paper.'' 

As G. H. Q. was then only some two miles from 
my Camp, I thought it might help matters if I 
could see Major General Louis Jean Bols, the 
Chief of Staff, and get him to put a stop to the 
persecution that was going on, and see that his 
underlings ^ ^ played the game. ' ' I therefore called 
on this gentleman, but he, for reasons best known 
to himself, refused to see me. I told his A. D. C. 
that I was camped close by and would be glad to 
see the General any time that was convenient to 
him, but I left his office feeling there never would 
be a convenient time, and so, as a matter of fact, 
it turned out. 

When my resignation was refused, and my 
request for an interview treated in the same man- 
ner, I made a vigorous protest against the anti- 
Jewish policy which prevailed, and stated that if 
it was not altered I would have the matter placed 
before the Secretary of State for War, in Parlia- 
ment. As a result of this I got a letter from 
G. H. Q. requesting me to furnish a list of the com- 
plaints I wished to make, and also asking me to 



Life at Ludd 161 

forward recommendations for the improvement 
and comfort of the Jewish Battalion. In my reply 
I pointed out how the Battalion had suffered ow- 
ing to the discrimination to which it had been sub- 
jected, and gave specific instances of unfair and 
unjust treatment during our service with the E. E. 
F. I also forwarded a separate memo, recom- 
mending various changes for the improvement 
and comfort of the men. I made five specific sug- 
gestions; not a single one of these was carried 
out. 

One of my suggestions was that a special Jew- 
ish name and badge should be given to the Bat- 
talion. This had been promised by the Secretary 
of State for War in September, 1917, if the Bat- 
talion distinguished itself in the field. As a mat- 
ter of fact, this name and badge had already been 
granted by the War Office, but was purposely 
withheld from our knowledge by the Staff, and it 
was only by an accident, a whole year later, that 
I discovered this deliberate shelving of Army 
Council orders by G. H. Q. in Egypt. This could 
not have been an oversight, because I had writ- 
ten more than once to enquire whether this dis- 
tinction had yet been conferred on the Battalion. 

Having seen the majority of my officers and 
men all carried off to Hospital, and feeling ill 
and depressed in my lonely camp, I sat down late 
one night and wrote a letter of condolence to Mrs. 
Cross. I told her that although we had wired to 
every Turkish Hospital from Es Salt to Damas- 
cus, we could obtain no information about her 



162 With the Judeans in Palestine 

husband; I wound up my letter by stating that, 
although there might still be some very faint 
hope, she must steel herself to face the facts, for 
I feared she would never see her husband 
again. 

It must have been close on midnight when I lay 
down, and, as I was unable to sleep, I was reading 
by the dim light of a candle, when suddenly I saw 
a white, ghostly face appear in the tent door, and 
only that I knew Cross was dead I would have 
thought it was the face of Cross. Then a sepul- 
chral voice said, *^Are you awake, Sirf and I 
began to wonder if it were all a dream. When the 
figure approached the light, I saw that it really 
was Cross, so I bounded up to give him a welcome 
— such a welcome as one would give to a friend 
who had risen from the dead. 

It appeared that when the patrol had been 
ambushed, Cross got wounded and lay under a 
sandbank, where he was discovered by the Turks. 
They carried him off, and, as they were then re- 
tiring as fast as they could, took him with them, 
pushed him on to Amman, and from there by 
rail to Damascus. He was about to be sent further 
north, when the British entered the city. In the 
confusion Cross made good his escape and even- 
tually worked his way back to me. Thus it was 
that nobody knew anything of his whereabouts, 
for he had never reported to any of the hospitals 
en route. 

Mrs. Cross had already been informed by the 
War Office that he was missing and reported 



Life at Ludd 163 

killed. I told Cross that I had just posted a letter 
to his wife to say that I feared that he must have 
been killed; he, of course, at once sent a private 
cable to tell her that he was alive and well, while 
I sent an official one to the War Office giving the 
same account. At all events, my letter of con- 
dolence to Mrs. Cross will always be a good sou- 
venir of the part her husband took in the Great 
War. 



CHAPTER XXII 

AT RAFA 

THE Armistice with Turkey was announced 
on October 31, 1918, amid the firing of guns 
and rockets and joy stunts by the Air Force 
above our camp at Ludd. On November 6th the 
Battalion was ordered to proceed to Rafa to re- 
cuperate, refit, and reorganize, and on the 7th, in 
the early morning, we arrived at this frontier 
station bordering on **the desert and the sown.*' 
Rafa is actually in Egypt, just over the borders 
of Palestine, on the Palestine-Egyptian Railway 
line, some five miles from the Mediterranean, and 
here the tents of Israel were pitched. 

Along the whole coast in this neighbourhood 
there runs a belt, about four miles deep, of sand 
dunes and sand hills. These are very irregular in 
outline, running in some places to peaks nearly 
one hundred feet in height, and in others forming 
miniature precipices, valleys and gullies. It is, 
in fact, a mountainous country on a lilliputian 
scale. The sand is so firm that a horse can be rid- 
den all over it, thereby giving great joy to the 
hunters of the jackals and hyenas which roam on 
its barren surface. The air on this stretch of 
sandy dunes is wonderfully fresh and exhilarating, 
and we drank it in with delight after our trying 

164, 



At Rafa 165 

experience in the Jordan Valley. The seashore 
itself abounds in millions of curious shells. 

The sand belt ends abruptly landwards and, at 
the very edge of it, the Bedouin scratches up the 
soil with an antiquated plough, which dates from 
the time of Abraham. Green waving crops, pleas- 
ant to the eye, may be seen almost under the 
shadow of a sand cliff. The country inland con- 
sists of a somewhat sandy soil and gently undulat- 
ing plains which are, for the greater part, culti- 
vated by Arabs who live in scattered villages, and 
by Bedouins who come and go as the spirit moves 
them. The whole place is honeycombed with holes 
burrowed by the little conies, which makes rid- 
ing at a fast pace somewhat hazardous. Such was 
the quiet little spot in which we found ourselves 
after our strenuous and exciting days in the Jor- 
dan Valley and land of Gilead. 

Day by day our men gradually came back from 
Hospital, and, owing to drafts from the 40th Bat- 
talion, our strength was soon over thirty officers 
and fifteen hundred other ranks. After a brief 
time for rest, we took over **Line of Communica- 
tion*' duties, and found ourselves with many miles 
of railway and country to safeguard. Our life 
now became one constant round of guards, escorts, 
fatigues, and drills whenever a few men could 
be spared from other duties for the latter pur- 
pose. There were thousands of prisoners of war 
in our custody, as well as a huge captured Turkish 
ammunition depot, supply stores, engineer park, 
and all kinds of workshops, etc., etc. 



166 With the Judeans in Palestine 

Soon after we got to Eafa I lost the services 
of Captain Leadley, M. C, who was demobilized at 
his own request and returned to England. I 
selected to succeed him Captain Duncan Sandison 
— as stubborn a Scot as ever wore a kilt, a first- 
rate officer, loyal to the core, and a great favour- 
ite with everybod}^ except the evildoers. 

Early in December I received another large 
draft of raw Jewish recruits from the 40th Bat- 
talion Eoyal Fusiliers — all American citizens. I 
strongly objected to these untrained men being 
sent to me under the circumstances in which I was 
placed, for it was impossible to give them any 
training, owing to the excessive duties we were 
called upon to perform day and night. I knew 
that the result of putting raw recruits to fulfil 
duties which should have been carried out by 
seasoned soldiers only, must before very long end 
in disaster. I foresaw endless breaches of dis- 
cipline, not because the men were evilly disposed, 
but because they were untrained and knew noth- 
ing of military discipline. I accordingly urged the 
Staff to remove all these recruits, of whom I had 
about eight hundred, to a training centre, and 
repeatedly warned the authorities of what the re- 
sult must be if this were not done, but not the 
slightest notice was taken of my appeal. 

It was a thousand pities that these enthusiastic 
American volunteers and ardent Zionists did not 
get a fair chance to show their mettle. I well 
remember how favourably I was impressed with 
their physique and general appearance when I 



At Rafa 167 

inspected them on their arrival at Eafa. They 
were miles ahead, physically, of the men who 
joined the Battalion in England — in fact, I do 
not believe that there was a unit in the whole of 
the E. E. F. that held such a fine-looking body of 
men. Because they were untrained, and had no 
idea of discipline, these hefty youths were con- 
stantly in trouble for committing breaches of mili- 
tary rules and regulations. They simply did not 
understand soldiering or what it meant. In this 
way I got to know the majority of them fairly 
well. We had many interesting meetings at 
^* office hour.'' Of course, in dealing with these 
volunteers, I never forgot that the faults they 
were guilty of were, in great measure, due to lack 
of training, and I dealt with them accordingly. 
Their military offences were not grave, just the 
delinquencies that must be expected of recruits, 
because they are recruits. Nevertheless, it is al- 
ways a danger to have a Battalion, supposed to be 
at any moment ready to take the field, swamped 
with nearly eight hundred raw recruits. 

I felt so strongly on this question and so clearly 
foresaw the inevitable end, that having failed to 
move the authorities myself, I cast about me to 
see where I could look for help and sympathy in 
the difficult situation in which I was placed; the 
only possible man who might be able to do some- 
thing was the Acting Chairman of the Zionist 
Commission then in Palestine. It will be remem- 
bered that, soon after the famous Balfour Declar- 
ation, Dr. Weizmann, the President of the Zionist 



168 With the Judeans in Palestine 

Organisation, was sent out at the head of a Com- 
mission to investigate conditions, and safeguard 
Jewish interests, in Palestine. Dr. Weizmann was 
received by H. M. the King before his departure 
from England, and came out armed with strong 
letters, from the Prime Minister and Mr. Balfour, 
to General Allenby. Dr. Weizmann spent some 
time doing useful work in Palestine, and was then 
recalled to England in connection with the Zion- 
ist policy then before our Government. The 
mantle of Dr. Weizmann eventually fell on Dr. 
Eder and to him I now applied myself, as it was 
a matter of the greatest importance that no unde- 
served slur should fall upon the Jewish Battalion. 
Like myself, however, Dr. Eder was unable to 
effect anything. 

I felt very strongly that the whole attitude 
adopted towards the Jewish Battalions was un- 
worthy of British traditions of fair play. It is, of 
course, possible that General Allenby did not 
know of the treatment to which we were subjected 
by certain members of his Staff and other under- 
lings, for naturally only the greater questions 
would come before him. If he had known, he 
would surely never have countenanced the jeo- 
pardizing of the good name of any Battalion in 
the E. E. F. by swamping it with over 800 raw 
recruits who, owing to the * * exigencies of the serv- 
ice, '^ had to be put on trained soldiers' duties the 
moment they joined. Unfortunately, I was unable 
to let him know of our dilemma, as the Chief of 
Staff, Major General Louis Jean Bols, had for- 



At Rafa 169 

bidden me to address the C.-in-C. direct, and ap- 
parently the appeals which I had made on this 
question never got beyond those whose policy it 
was to discredit all things Jewish in Palestine. 

As I have already said, I had been ill from the 
time we began operations in the Jordan Valley, 
and was now reduced to a skeleton, but by careful 
dieting I had hoped to weather the storm, and 
had so far managed to keep out of Hospital. 
Thinking that a few days' change would improve 
my health, I applied for leave and went to Cairo. 
While I was there I happened by chance to meet 
Captain Salaman in the street, and he was so 
shocked at my appearance that he straightway 
convoyed me off to Nasrieh Hospital, where I was 
taken in hand by Captain AVallace, R. A. M. C. In 
a couple of weeks he had me well enough to be 
transferred to the beautiful Convalescent Home 
at Sirdariah, where the Matron and Staff of 
Nurses were kindness and consideration personi- 
fied ; a short stay in this well-managed institution 
completed my cure, at the end of which I rejoined 
the Battalion. 



CHAPTER XXIII 

RETURN OF THE ANZACS 

ABOUT this time the Battalion was inspected 
by the G. 0. C. Lines of Communication, 
' and the following is what he wrote of the 
impression we made on him : 

' ' Headquarters, 
*' Palestine Line of Communications, 
''January 8, 1919. 
"I was very glad to inspect your Battalion and I was 
much struck with the soldierly appearance presented by 
the men. 

(Signed) ''E. N. Broadbent, 
''General Officer Commanding P. L. of C." 

Isolated as we were on the edge of the desert, 
we found life at Rafa somewhat dull and dreary. 
Sandstorms were the bane of one's life there; a 
"Khamsin" or hot wind would blow for days at a 
time, enveloping the place in a cloud of fine sand, 
and making life one long misery while it lasted. 
One's eyes, nose, and throat got choked up, while 
every morsel of food was full of grit. Khamsin 
is Arab for fifty ; the hot wind is supposed to blow 
for that number of days, but thank Heaven, it 
rarely lasted more than a week on end at Eafa. 

There were no other troops in the place to vary 

170 



Return of the Anzacs 171 

the deadly monotony. True, there were some 
Engineers of the Kailway Operating Division, bnt 
we found them somewhat selfish, for although they 
had an excellent concert hall they refused our con- 
cert party permission to use it. Even at Eafa 
the few underlings on the Staff took their cue 
from above, and did what they could to make our 
life as uncomfortable as possible, until they came 
to know us better. 

It can be imagined, therefore, with what joyful 
feelings we saw our old friends of the Anzac Di- 
vision march into Eafa and make it their head- 
quarters. Since we had parted from the Anzacs 
in Gilead we had seen nothing of them, but we 
knew that they had been camped in the green 
fields and pleasant pastures surrounding the Jew- 
ish colony of Eichon-le-Zion. The slings and 
arrows of misfortune removed them from these 
sylvan surroundings, but whatever ill wind blew 
them to Eafa, it was a godsend for us. In these 
piping days of peace, now that we were among 
our old friends once more, there was horse-racing, 
hunting, tournaments, and boxing galore, while an 
enterprising kinema man came and photographed 
camp scenes and groups of officers and men. 

In the sand dunes around Eafa many ancient 
coins were to be found, and General Chaytor him- 
self could always be relied on to head a hunt for 
these and other relics of antiquity. We never 
failed to find some objects of interest, such as bits 
of glazed pottery, glass, beads, pins, bangles, and 
rings. Every time there was a storm the top 



172 With the Judeans in Palestine 

sand would get blown away, and we could always 
go and make fresh finds in the ground we had 
already explored, and great was the competition 
as to who should discover the best specimens. 
The General had the eye of a lynx for such things, 
and it was rarely indeed that anyone else had a 
look in, while he was to the fore. He discovered 
some very beautiful old mosaics buried at Shellal, 
and these he had carefully sketched and artisti- 
cally coloured, exactly as they were in the original. 
I was very pleased when he kindly presented me 
with a copy. 

The rolling downs round about us were dotted 
here and there with the graves of fallen Austra- 
lian and New Zealand soldiers, and, riding as I 
often did with General Chaytor, he would explain 
the operations which took place when the British 
first entered Palestine at this point. He gave me 
many vivid descriptions of the part which his Bri- 
gade had taken in the overthrow of the Turks at 
the Battle of Eafa. 

The General had a very narrow escape on that 
occasion. In the middle of the battle, when he was 
galloping from one position to another, attended 
only by his orderly, he came suddenly upon a 
concealed trench full of Turks. Fortunately they 
thought he was at the head of a squadron, so 
threw up their hands and surrendered. The 
General left his orderly to march off the pris- 
oners and galloped on to conduct the fight else- 
where. 

We motored over to Gaza once, and spent a 



Return of the Anzacs 173 

most interesting day there. From Ali Muntar, a 
hill to the east of the town, which had been the 
GeneraPs headquarters in the first battle of Gaza, 
he described the whole situation. From this point 
almost every bit of Gaza and the surrounding 
country could easily be seen. 

It will be remembered that at the first battle 
we claimed a victory which history has not since 
been able to verify, for we retired in hot haste 
on Eafa. But it is said that, if there had only 
been a little more push and go in the high com- 
mand that day, Gaza would have been ours. As 
a matter of fact, it was ours at one time, for part 
of General Chay tor's brigade was right in the 
town, where they captured some hundreds of 
prisoners, and a couple of guns which they turned 
on the Turks in Gaza with considerable effect, 
sighting their strange new pieces at point-blank 
range by peeping through the bore of the guns. 
The Turks were everywhere beginning to throw 
up the sponge, when, alas, the British Force was 
suddenly ordered to retire, because a Turkish 
relieving column was seen approaching in the dis- 
tance. But if only the British Division, which 
all this time had been held in reserve, had been 
thrust forward to intercept this column, tired, 
thirsty and done up as it was, we could, no 
doubt, have shattered it and won a complete 
victory. 

General Chaytor was ordered to retire some- 
what early in the afternoon, but, as he had a 
squadron right in the town, and many wounded 



174 With the Judeans in Palestine 

men in advanced positions, he waited until night- 
fall before withdrawing, taking with him all his 
wounded, and also the Turkish prisoners and 
captured guns. No matter who had the **wind 
up'' that day, it certainly was not General Chay- 
tor or his Brigade. The second battle of Gaza 
was, of course, a terrible fiasco, in which we 
were repulsed, and lost thousands of men to no 
purpose. 

On another occasion I motored, with Colonel 
CroU R. A. M. C. of the Anzacs, to Beersheba. It 
was at this point that General Allenby made a 
successful thrust when he first took command in 
Palestine, and from that day he has never looked 
back. The Anzacs, and the Australian Mounted 
Division, in this attack made a wide turning move- 
ment, outflanked Beersheba, burst suddenly in 
upon Tel el Saba, some three miles to the east 
of it, galloped the Turkish trenches, and poured 
into Beersheba at one end, in a whirlwind of dust 
and storm, while the Turks skedaddled out of it 
as fast as ever they could run, from the other 
end, and made for the shelter of the foothills 
towards Hebron. The New Zealanders say that 
they were responsible for the capture of Tel el 
Saba, for it was they who outflanked it; while 
the Australians assured me that it was they who 
had stormed it at a mad gallop. At all events, it 
was a decisive victory for the Australians and 
New Zealanders (for both took part in it), and as 
fine a piece of mounted work as had been done so 
far during the war. Dash, energy, and initiative 



Return of the Anzacs 175 

were shown in a very high degree by all ranks 
engaged. 

In the little cemetery at Beersheba I visited the 
grave of Major Markwell, one of the bravest of 
the officers who fell that day. We also paid a 
visit to the site of Old Beersheba, and were 
greatly interested in peering down into the well 
dug at this celebrated place by the Patriarch 
Abraham. From Beersheba we motored to Gaza 
along the former Turkish front ; every inch of the 
way had been fortified and turned into a maze 
of trenches, with formidable redoubts here and 
there throughout the line. 

Once Beersheba was captured, the heart was 
taken out of the Turkish resistance, though they 
put up some stiff fighting before they were dis- 
lodged, especially at Atawineh, a strong redoubt 
near the centre of the position. After the cap- 
ture of Beersheba, Lieut. -Colonel S. F. Xewcombe, 
D. S. 0., E. E., dashed northwards with part of 
the Camel Corps, to cut off the Turks retreating 
on the Beersheba-Hebron Road. He reached a 
point within a few miles of the latter place, but 
was surrounded by six Battalions of the enemy. 
He held out gallantly for three days, but at last, 
when he had exhausted all his ammmiition and 
suffered hea^-y casualties, he was obliged to sur- 
render. 

Fate holds in its lap many surprises. If Col- 
onel Newcombe had not been captured that day 
he would undoubtedly, with ordinary' luck, have 
won distinction and rank, but there was another 



176 With the Judeans in Palestine 

and better prize awaiting Mm at Constantinople, 
for while he was a prisoner and convalescing in 
that city, he met a charming yonng lady who, at 
groat personal risk, helped him to escape from the 
clutches of the Turk, and a'f'terwards became his 
wife. 



CHAPTER XXIV 

A BED-LETTER DAY 

SOON after the Anzac Division came to Rafa, 
General Chaytor expressed a wish to inspect 
the Battalion and present decorations to 
those officers, N. C. O.s, and men who had won 
them while under his command. It was a glori- 
ously sunny afternoon, and every available man 
in the Battalion was on parade when General 
Chaytor rode on to the review ground and took 
the ''General Salute." The Battalion was then 
formed up on three sides of a square ; the officers, 
N. C. O.'s, and men to be decorated stood in the 
centre, and as each was called out to have the 
coveted honour pinned to his breast, his deeds 
were recounted to the assembled troops. 

Captain T. B. Brown won the Military Cross 
and bar for having gallantly led many a dan- 
gerous reconnaissance into the enemy's lines. 
Lieutenant Fliegelstone was also decorated with 
the Military Cross for good, gallant, and dan- 
gerous work successfully performed while he was 
acting as machine gun officer. Lieutenant Cam- 
eron and Lieutenant Bullock both won Military 
Crosses and bars for good and gallant patrol 
and intelligence work in the Jordan Valley. Cor- 

177 



178 With the Judeans in Palestine 

poral Bloom, Lance Corporal Elfman, and Pri- 
vates Angel and Eobinson were all decorated with 
the Military Medal for various gallant acts per- 
formed in the Mellahah, and during the recent 
operations. Major Neill had the D. S. 0. con- 
ferred on him for his able handling of the Batta- 
lion while it was under his command in *^ Pat- 
terson's Column/' Captain Leadley received the 
Military Cross for his good Staff work, and Com- 
pany Sergeant-Ma j or Plant won the D. C. M. for 
special services rendered by him during the whole 
time we were in the fighting line. 

At the end of the presentation the General made 
the following address : 

''Colonel Patterson, Officers, N. C. O.'s and men of 
the 38th Jewish Battalion Royal Fusiliers, I have spe- 
cially come here today, first of all to present decorations 
to the officers and men who won them in the recent opera- 
tions under my command. Secondly, I want to tell you 
how sorry I am that I was not able to put you in the 
van in the advance on Es Salt. I wished that you had 
been there, and I wanted you to be there, but the Indian 
Infantry and other units were in a more favourable po- 
sition from which to spring off, while you were still en- 
tangled miles to the northward in the heavy sandhills of 
the Jordan Valley. In any case, even had you been in 
the van, you would have seen but little fighting for the 
mounted men got well to the front, and were able to 
effect the capture of Es Salt and Amman before the In- 
fantry could possibly come up. 

''I am pleased to be able to tell you, however, that I 
was particularly struck with your good work on the 
Mellahah front, and by your gallant capture of the Umm 
Es Shert Ford, and defeat of the Turkish rearguard 



A Red-Letter Day 179 

when I gave you the order to go, for I was then enabled 
to push my mounted men over the Jordan at that cross- 
ing, and so you contributed materially to the capture of 
Es Salt, the guns, and other material which fell to our 
share, to the capture of Amman, the cutting of the Hed- 
jaz Railway, and the destruction of the 4th Turkish 
Army, which helped considerably towards the great vic- 
tory won at Damascus. '* 

I briefly thanked the General for his praise of 
the Battalion, and a march past the decorated 
officers and men concluded the pleasant cere- 
money. It was indeed a red letter day for the 
Battalion. 

It will be seen from the above what really good 
work was done by the Jewish Battalion, and how 
much it was appreciated by the one man who was 
in a position to judge of our fighting abilities by 
actual experience in the field. Yet alJ mention of 
Jewish troops was deliberately suppressed by the 
Staff at G. H. Q. True, Jewish troops were men- 
tioned in official despatches all over the world, but 
the part of these despatches relating to Jewish 
troops was never allowed to appear in the Pales- 
tinian and Egyptian papers. This naturally up- 
set and humiliated both Jewish troops and the 
Jewish population generally, for it gave outsiders 
the impression that we had failed to do our duty, 
whereas on the contrary the Jewish Battalion 
had done extraordinarily good work for England. 
It would, therefore, have been only mere justice 
and fair play if it had received recognition in the 
local Egyptian and Palestinian press, but it was 



180 With the Judeans in Palestine 

rigidly excluded from all mention, by what tLe 
Times truthfully branded as *'the most incompe- 
tent, the most inept, and the most savagely ruth- 
less censorship in any country under British con- 
trol/' 

This omission was especially noted by all, when 
the Commander-in-Chief, in his speech at Cairo 
in December, 1918, mentioned all nationalities who 
fought under his command, including Armenians 
and West Indians, but maintained a stony silence 
on the doings of Jewish troops in Palestine. 
Coming on the top of all our persecution, this was 
most marked. 

The following is, indeed, in his despatch pub- 
lished in England, which must by some fluke or 
other have dodged the censor : 

''General Allenby's Despatch, 

"October 31, 1918. 
"In Operations East of the Jordan. 

"The enemy, however, still held the Bridgeheads on 
the West bank, covering the crossings of the Jordan at 
Umm es Shert, etc. 

"Early in the morning of Sept. 22nd, the 38th Battn. 
Royal Fusiliers captured the bridgehead at Umm es 
Shert. 

' ' Of the fighting troops all have taken their share and 
have carried out what was required of them. 

"I will bring to notice the good fighting qualities 
shown by the newer Units. These include . . . the 38th 
and 39th (Jewish) Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers." 
(Signed) "H. H. Allenby, General, 
"C.-in-C, E. B. F.'' 

The Commander-in-Chief also wrote in reply to 



A Red-Letter Lay 181 

a letter of congratulations which he received from 
the Secretary of the Zionist organization of 
America : 

''November 22, 1918. 
''Dear Sir: 

"I have the honour to acknowledge your letter. . . . 

"You will be glad to hear that the Jewish Kegiment 
did consistently good work. . . . ' ' 

I received letters of congratulation from many 
prominent people, but the most valued of all was 
from that wonderful and truly great man, Theo- 
dore Koosevelt. I only received this letter, writ- 
ten three weeks before his lamented death, to- 
wards the end of March — over two months after 
he had passed away. It had been sent to France 
in error, and wandered in and out amongst the 
different armies until somebody noticed that it 
had **E. E. F.'' on the address, and sent it on to 
Palestine : 

"December 11, 1918. 
"My dear Colonel Patterson: 

"I most heartily congratulate you on leading in what 
was not only one of the most important, but one of 
the most dramatic incidents in the whole war. To have 
the sons of Israel smite Ammon 'hip and thigh' under 
your leadership is something worth while. 

"As for my own loss, the death of my son Quentin 
was very bitter, but it would have been far more bitter 
if he had been a hand's breadth behind his friends in 
entering the war. Two of my other sons have been 
wounded, one of them crippled. The other wounded one 
has recovered, and as Lieut.-Colonel is now commanding 



182 With the Judeans in Palestine 

his regiment on the march towards the Ehine. Kermit 
is Captain of Artillery, having first served in Mesopo- 
tamia, and then under Pershing in the Argonne fight. 
''With hearty congratulations, 

"Faithfully yours, 

''T. Roosevelt/' 

Although the Staff denied us any local credit, 
our Zionist friends in the country knew what good 
work the Battalion had done, and we were glad to 
receive the following official letter from the Zion- 
ist Commission: 



"Zionist Commission to Palestine, 
c/o Chief Political Officer, G. H. Q., 

"Tel- Aviv, Jaffa, Palestine. 
"October 15, 1918. 
"Colonel J. H. Patterson, D. S. 0., 

"38R. F. 
"Dear Colonel Patterson: 

"It gives us great pleasure to express to you and to the 
men under your command of the 38th and 39th Royal 
Fusiliers, on behalf of the Zionist Commission, our warm- 
est congratulations on the successful part taken by the 
Royal Fusiliers in the last battle that brought about the 
liberation of the rest of Palestine. We have always fol- 
lowed with the keenest interest the doings of the Regi- 
ment and we are proud to know that it has done bravely 
and well. 

"At a meeting of the Zionist Commission held yester- 
day, Lieut. Jabotinsky informed us of the distinctions 
conferred upon four of the men of your Battalion. It 
was resolved at this meeting to congratulate you thereon 
and ask you to be good enough to convey the congratula- 
tions of the Commission to the men who had earned these 
distinctions. 



A Red-Letter Day 183 

**With our best wishes for your welfare and that of 
the officers and men under your command, 
* * I am, dear Colonel Patterson, 

''Yours faithfully, 
( Signed ) * ' Jack Mosseri, 

''Secretary." 

Soon after my return to England I received the 
following letter from General Chaytor, which will 
I know, fill the hearts of the old boys of the 38th 
with pride: 

"Wellington, New Zealand, 
"March 9, 1920. 
"My dear Patterson: 

"I hope the history of the 38th Battalion is out by 
now. So few people have heard of the Battalion's good 
work, or of the very remarkable fact that in the opera- 
tions that we hope have finally re-opened Palestine to 
the Jews, a Jewish force was fighting on the Jordan, 
within a short distance of where their forefathers under 
Joshua first crossed into Palestine, and all who hear 
about it are anxious to hear more. 

"I shall always be grateful to you and your Battalion 
for your good work while with me in the Jordan Valley. 

"The way you smashed up the Turkish rearguard 
when it tried to counter attack across the Jordan made 
our subsequent advance up the hills of Moab an easy 
matter. 

"With best wishes, 

' ' Yours sincerely, 
(Signed) "E. W. C. Chaytor.^ 



yy 



CHAPTER XXV 

FORBIDDEN TO ENTER THE HOLY CITY 

ON February 24, 1919, I was appointed to 
the command of *'Rafa Area.'^ The 
^ ' area ' ' was rather an extensive one ; it in- 
cluded nearly the whole of the Sinai Desert to 
the south, and Palestine to the north, almost as 
far as Bir Salem, while to the east it went beyond 
Beersheba to the Arabian Desert. There were 
over one hundred and fifty miles of railway to 
guard, and the Bedouins had to be constantly 
watched and checked, or they would have played 
all sorts of pranks with the line. Constant patrols 
had to be maintained, and every day provided a 
fresh problem for solution. The fresh water pipe 
line from Egypt ran alongside the railway and of 
course the wandering and thirsty Ishmaelite 
thought nothing of smashing this in order to get 
a drink for himself and his camel. We had to be 
on the alert all the time and nip these little enter- 
prises of our friendly Allies in the bud. They 
did not hesitate to attempt to loot the supply 
stores of flour, forage, etc., stored at Rafa, and 
our sentries had many lively little encounters with 
these marauders, and I must say that the wily 
rascals took their chance of a bullet quite casually. 

184 



Forbidden to Enter the Holy City 185 

While the Anzac Division was with us I felt 
quite easy in my mind about being able to keep 
these slippery customers in check, but it was quite 
^^ another pair of shoes'' when the Anzacs were 
hurriedly called away to suppress the disorders 
in Egypt. In addition to the 38th Battalion, I had 
some Indian Infantry holding Gaza, and some 
South African troops holding El Arish. As de- 
mobilization progressed these were withdrawn, 
and the whole of this great area was in the end 
solely garrisoned and guarded by the Jewish Bat- 
talion. They performed their arduous duties ex- 
traordinarily well. They were scattered up and 
down the line in small posts, often in the midst of 
Arab villages and Bedouin camps, yet there was 
never any friction between Jew and Arab, al- 
though here was a likely setting for it, if there had 
been any real ill feelings animating either side. 
But as a matter of fact the Jew and the Arab 
got on wonderfully well together all over Pales- 
tine, and had worked amicably side by side for 
over forty years in the Jewish colonies. 

When the Egyptian Nationalist riots started, 
the Military Governor of El Arish feared an out- 
break in this large Arab town, so I had to send re- 
inforcements to the garrison there under the com- 
mand of Capt. Jaffe, an ojQficer of the Battalion. 
Aeroplanes flew up from the aerodrome at Helio- 
polis, and swooping low over El Arish put the 
fear of the Lord into the inhabitants ; this demon- 
stration and the great personal influence of the 
Military Governor, Colonel Parker, kept these 



186 With the Judeans in Palestine 

people quiet, and they gave us no trouble what- 
ever. 

Later on, we liad to guard a number of political 
prisoners who were sent up from Egypt as a re- 
sult of the disturbances there, and this added con- 
siderably to the heavy work of the Battalion. 

At Rafa there was an enormous Ammunition 
Depot covering acres of ground and this was a 
constant source of anxiety and had to be guarded 
on all sides night and day. While the Jewish 
troops held it in custody nothing untoward hap- 
pened, but after they were removed, by some evil 
chance the whole place was blown up with con- 
siderable loss of life. 

Notwithstanding the heavy work exacted from 
the Battalion, there was one great consolation for 
the men. No petty discrimination could now be 
practised against them within my jurisdiction, 
and although I had five Staff Officers under my 
command, I found them quite good fellows and 
willing to do all in their power to do the right 
thing by the Jewish troops. 

Early in April the men were considerably upset 
on the receipt of orders from G. H. Q. that no 
Jewish soldier would be allowed to enter Jerusa- 
lem during the Passover; the order ran thus: 

*'The walled city (of Jerusalem) is placed out of 
bounds to all Jewish soldiers from the 14th to the 22nd 
April inclusive.'* 

I cannot conceive a greater act of provocation 
to Jewish soldiers than this, or a greater insult. 



Forbidden to Enter the Holy City 187 

The days during which they were prohibited from 
entering Jerusalem were the days of the Passover. 
Think of it! Jewish soldiers for the first time in 
their lives in Palestine and barred from the 
Temple Wall of Jerusalem during Passover! 
Only a Jew can really understand what it meant 
to these men, and the strain it put on their disci- 
pline and loyalty. How provocative and insulting 
this order was will be better understood when it is 
realized that the majority of the population of 
Jerusalem is Jewish, and therefore there could 
have been no possible reason for excluding Jew- 
ish troops belonging to a British unit, while other 
British troops were freely admitted, more espe- 
cially as the conduct of the Jewish soldiers was, 
at all times exemplary. Not since the days of 
the Emperor Hadrian had such a humiliating de- 
cree been issued. 

However, to make up somewhat for the action 
of the authorities, I made arrangements for the 
Passover to be observed at Rafa with all the joy 
and ceremony usually attending that great Feast 
of the Jewish People. At considerable cost we 
provided unleavened bread, as well as meat and 
wine — all strictly *^ kosher.*' As we were nearly 
two thousand strong at this time, the catering 
for the feast had to be most carefully gone into, 
and Lieut. Jabotinsky, Lieut. Lazarus, and the 
Rev. Falk did yeoman service in providing for all 
needs. It was a wonderful sight when we all sat 
down together and sang the Hagadah on the edge 
of the Sinai desert. 



188 With the Judeans in Palestine 

The Zionist Commission and Miss Berger, an 
American Zionist, helped ns materially with 
funds, and our friends in England did like- 
wise. The Acting Chairman of the Zionist Com- 
mission sent me the following letter for the occa- 
sion: 

** Zionist Commission to Palestine, 

*'c/o Chief Political Officer, 
*'G. H. Q., Palestine. 
''Jerusalem, April 6, 1919. 
*'To the Colonel of the 38th Battalion, 

''Col. J. H. Patterson, D. S. 0. 
"My dear Colonel: 

"May I request, in the name of the Zionist Commis- 
sion, that you have this letter read to the men of your 
battalion at their Seder Service. 

"The Commission is glad to be the means of aiding 
them in celebrating our Pesach, the Feast of Deliverance, 
and we trust that it will bring them all great joy. We 
have hopes now that our age-long prayers will soon be 
realized and it should be a source of pride and happiness 
to them, to know that they have contributed by their 
courage and their sacrifice toward its fulfilment. The 
Commission speaks in the name of the Zionist Organiza- 
tion in expressing to them the thanks of the nation for 
the devoted services they have rendered, and are ren- 
dering, in the service of the liberty-loving nation, Great 
Britain, to which they have sworn fidelity, and to our 
people of Israel for whose future glory they have been 
willing to sacrifice their lives. The splendid part they 
have played, and will continue to play, will ever be re- 
membered as a bright spot in the long history of our 
ancient people. 

"Very cordially yours, 
( Signed ) ' ' Harry Friedenwald, 
"Acting Chairman, Zionist Commission. '* 



Forbidden to Enter the Holy City 189 

As Eafa was just over the border of Palestine, 
and therefore in the ^^Galuth/' the Feast had to 
be kept for eight days. Many of the men thought 
that, as we were only a matter of yards from the 
boundary, I would on the eighth day issue leav- 
ened bread, which some of them were already 
hankering after, but this I would not hear of, and 
from that day forth I was considered the strictest 
Jew in the Battalion ! 



CHAPTEE XXVI 

THE GREAT BOXING COMPETITION 

THERE was a great deal of unrest and un- 
healthy excitement during demobilization, 
so, to keep the troops interested and 
amused, competitions were got up through- 
out the E. E. F. in boxing, football, cricket, 
and sports of all kinds. Soon after we reached 
Eafa, a programme of coming sporting events 
was circulated from G. H. Q. Naturally, in 
a fighting army like the British, the greatest 
interest of all was taken in the boxing competi- 
tion, and the 38th Royal Fusiliers entered ^vith 
keenness for all events. 

By the terms of the contest, teams could be 
chosen from Brigades, or even from Divisions, 
but, as we belonged to no Brigade or Division, we 
could only choose our men from our own Batta- 
lion, which was of course a considerable handicap. 
However, I considered that this was a grand op- 
portunity of proving that men picked from this 
Jewish Battalion, if properly trained, would be 
able to hold their own against any team that might 
be brought against them from other units, or bri- 
gades, or even divisions, of the British Army. I 
therefore formed a Sports Committee, collected 

190 



The Great Boxing Competition 191 

my team of boxers, bought them boxing gloves, 
punch balls, etc., and despatched them with a 
trainer to El Arish, some thirty miles away, on 
the shores of the Mediterranean. There they 
raced, chased, boxed, bathed, danced, and were 
generally licked into condition by Sergeant Gold- 
berg, the boxing instructor to the Battalion. 

In order to weed out the weaker teams, so that 
only the very best should appear at the finals in 
Cairo, the contest was subdivided into four great 
tournaments ; one for all the troops in Egypt, an- 
other for all the troops in Palestine, the third for 
all the troops in Syria, and the fourth for the best 
team among the Australians and New Zealanders. 
At my inspection of the 38th team, just before 
the tournament, I was much impressed with our 
prospects of success, for the men boxed wonder- 
fully well. 

We were all agog with excitement, and I may 
say hope, when the great day for the Palestine 
Championship arrived, and our men stepped in- 
side the ropes at Kantara, surrounded by thou- 
sands of onlookers. There was some splendid 
fighting, but I cannot go into the details of it here. 
It is sufficient to say that we defeated all comers, 
won five gold medals, and emerged as the Cham- 
pions of Palestine with the right, therefore, of 
representing it in the great Cairo Tournament for 
the Championship of the E. E. F. Could any- 
thing be more fitting? Jewish soldiers as cham- 
pions of Palestine. 

It can be imagined what jubilation there was in 



192 With the Judeans in Palestine 

camp when our team returned to Rafa, and the 
ringing cheers which roared out when, at one of 
our centers, I presented the gold medals to the 
victors, whose names are as follows : 



Heavy weight . 
Welter weight . 
Light weight . 
Feather weight 
Bantam weight 



Private Burack 
Private Tankinoff 
Private Cohen 
Private Franks 
Private Goldfarb 



The first round of this essentially British form 
of sport had been fought and won by the despised 
Jewish Battalion ! 

There yet remained the great contest at Cairo, 
where we would have to meet the champions of 
Egypt, and of the Australian forces, and of Syria. 
Real hard training was again the order of the 
day at El Arish, and I can guarantee that no fitter 
men than ours stepped into the ring at Cairo on 
that glorious night of March 13th, when the first 
rounds of the championship were fought in the 
presence of thousands of spectators from all 
parts. 

Again the Jewish Battalion won practically 
every contest, defeating all its opponents among 
the British Regiments ; and eventually it was left 
in to fight out the final round of the championship 
for the whole of the E. E. F. with the Australians, 
who on their side had defeated their opponents. 
It was a memorable night (the Ides of March) 
when this final contest took place. Excitement and 
feeling ran very high round the ring and there 



The Great Boxing Competition 193 

was some magnificent fighting on both sides. In 
the end it was found that the Jewish Battalion 
had tied for victory with the Australians. 

A decision, however, was given against us, on 
the grounds that we had not entered an officer of 
the Battalion in the team. As a matter of fact 
I had entered an officer of the Battalion with the 
teams, but the judge (who was a British General, 
not an Australian) said that my team officer was 
only ** attached '' to the 38th for duty, and there- 
fore could not be claimed as belonging to the Bat- 
talion. Of course practically every officer in the 
Battalion was only ^^ attached'' for duty, but there 
— I suppose it really would not have been *Hhe 
right thing'' for one Jewish Battalion to have 
defeated the whole of the E. E. F. ! 

In football the men were almost equally good, 
and we were good runners up for the champion- 
ship of Palestine. In cricket, also, that essentially 
English game, the Battalion acquitted itself most 
creditably under Captain Pape's tuition, defeat- 
ing all comers in the Bir Salem matches, with 
the exception of the Flying Corps; while our 
Americans were, of course, unrivalled at baseball, 
at which they were real experts. They often 
gave exhibitions of their skill, to the great delight 
of all those who had never before seen the game 
played. 

Our concert party was also still well to the fore, 
and easily took first place in Palestine, its only 
possible rival being that of the 39th Battalion. 
I had only to let it be known that Tchaikov, our 



194 With the Judeans in Palestine 

first violinist, would give a performance, to draw 
a crowd big enough to pack our concert tent four 
times over. In the end a covetous man succeeded 
in wheedling Tchaikov away from us. Colonel 
Storrs, the Governor of Jerusalem, begged him 
from me so persuasively that I could not refuse 
him, more especially as it was to Tchaikov 's ad- 
vantage to settle in the Holy City, where he took 
up the post of Director of the School of Music. 



CHAPTER XXVII 

AN EXCITING EACE 

EARLY in May we were transferred from 
Rafa to Bir Salem. The advance party 
moved on the 6th, and on the 10th the Bat- 
talion Headquarters followed, and took over 
duties from the 7th Indian Infantry Brigade, 
which was then sent to Haifa. 

"We were replaced at Rafa by the 40th (Jewish) 
Battalion Royal Fusiliers, which was now com- 
posed mainly of the Palestinian youths recruited 
by Major James de Rothschild and Lieutenant 
Lipsey. For a time they were commanded by 
Lieut. Colonel F. D. Samuel, D. S. 0., but he left 
for England while the Battalion was doing gar- 
rison duty at Haifa. 

The command then fell to Colonel Scott, a most 
conscientious officer, and a man in full sympathy 
with Zionist aspirations. While at Rafa he had 
a most anxious time, owing to the unwise action 
of the military authorities. The men of the 40th 
Battalion had enlisted for service in Palestine 
only ; the local Staff ignored this deJfinite contract 
and ordered part of the Battalion to Cyprus. As 
this was a breach of their terms of enlistment, the 
men refused to go, and in the end the officials had 

196 



196 With the Judeans in Palestine 

to climb down and cancel all their unjust orders. 
Why did the Staff, when they knew all about this 
special contract for service in Palestine only, 
drive this excellent Battalion almost to the verge 
of mutiny? There were many other Battalions 
available for Cyprus. Happily, Colonel Scott 
brought his men safely through the rough time at 
Rafa, and he served on with them until December, 
1919, when the 40th was merged in the 38th Bat- 
talion. 

All through the early days of May I saw chalked 
up everywhere — on the railway station, signal 
boxes, workshops, on the engines, trucks, and car- 
riages — the mystic words, ^'Remember the 11th of 
May.'' This was, of course, the date on which all 
soldiers, rightly or wrongly, believed themselves 
entitled to their release, because it was six months 
after the Armistice granted to the Germans on 
November 11, 1918. I heard it rumored that there 
was a conspiracy on foot in the E. E. F. for a 
general mutiny on that day, and found that men 
from other units had endeavoured to seduce my 
Battalion from its duty. 

On learning this, I at once determined to nip 
the conspiracy in the bud, and so made it my 
business to speak to every man in the Battalion, 
and on every isolated post, impressing upon him 
the responsibility which rested on their shoulders 
as Jews, and urging them on no account to be 
led away by the hotheads in other units. I told 
them that British troops could perhaps afford to 
mutiny, but Jewish troops, while serving England, 



An Exciting Race 197 

never. I am proud to be able to state that not a 
man of my Battalion failed on the 11th of May, 
but just *^ carried on'' as usual. Mutinies took 
place elsewhere, and thousands of British soldiers 
at Kantara ran riot and had the place in a blaze. 
However, the matter was hushed up, concessions 
were made, and, so far as I know, the mutineers 
were not punished, and things gradually became 
normal again. 

Our effective strength when we left Eafa was 
fifteen officers and 1,300 other ranks. Our duties 
at Bir Salem, Ludd, and Eamleh were exception- 
ally heavy, the men being very often on duty three 
nights in a week, and, when they were off guard 
duties, they were immediately put on to prisoner 
of war escorts, etc., as there was a very large 
Turkish and German Prisoners of War Camp at 
Ludd. 

At Bir Salem we were attached to the 3rd (La- 
hore) Division, under the command of General 
Hoskin. It is a great pleasure to me to be able to 
state here that this officer and his staff gave us 
a very hearty and cordial welcome to Bir Salem, 
and did everything possible for our comfort and 
welfare. I look upon General Hoskin with his 
staff as the one bright luminary amidst the 
gloomy British constellations among whom we 
were continually revolving! What an immense 
difference it makes to the feelings of a Regiment 
or a Battalion when it is known that the Staff 
are out to help and assist (as is their proper 
function), instead of to crab and block every- 



198 With the Judeans in Palestine 

thing! In the former case one is ready to work 
the skin off one's bones, while in the latter, every- 
body's back is up, with the result that co-ordina- 
tion and happy working are impossible. This was 
a happy time for the young lions of Judah, for 
the G. 0. C. and his staff were out to help and 
assist in every possible way. We were not then 
aware of all the trials and tribulations that 
awaited us on the departure of General Hoskin 
and his excellent staff — ** sahibs'' to a man. 

The Battalion owes a deep debt of gratitude to 
Mr. Jessop, the capable secretary of the Y. M. 
C. A. in Egypt, who supplied us with a magnificent 
marquee, completely furnished with tables, chairs, 
forms, lamps, etc., etc. Only for this gift from 
the Y. M. C. A. we should have been very badly 
off indeed, for we were camped on a sandy 
waste without huts or any conveniences which 
other troops in our neighborhood fortunately pos- 
sessed. 

It is a fact worthy of note that although the 
wealthy Jews of Cairo and Alexandria contrib- 
uted generously to the E. E. F. comforts fund, not 
a single article of any kind was ever sent to the 
Jewish Battalion to cheer them in their desolate 
surroundings. We asked for gramophones, etc., 
but got nothing — not even a reply! 

There were compensations, however, at Bir 
Salem. We had many interesting visitors who 
came to cheer us in our camp in the sands, among 
others the Haham Bashi (Grand Eabbi of Jaffa), 
and the famous Dutch poet, Dr. De Haan. I re- 



An Exciting Race 199 

member that the latter took a great interest in a 
pet monkey which belonged to one of the men of 
the Battalion, but the quaint-looking little animal 
showed little respect for the poet, for she evinced 
a decided desire to leave the print of her teeth 
in his finger as a souvenir of his visit. We were 
always kindly and hospitably received by the citi- 
zens of Jaffa, headed by Mr. Bezalel Jaffe, and 
by those of Kichon-le-Zion, headed by Mr. Glus- 
kin, when we visited those colonies. 

While stationed here, I spent many a pleasant 
evening chatting with Mr. Aharoni, a well-known 
naturalist, who lives at Eehoboth. There is per- 
haps no man, in all Syria and Palestine, with such 
a wide knowledge of the flora and fauna of those 
countries, and he gave me many interesting 
accounts of his adventures among the Bedouins, 
while in quest of specimens for the various Euro- 
pean museums. When the Great War broke out 
he had secured two live ostrich chicks, new to sci- 
ence, and these he had hoped to send alive to Eng- 
land. However, when the pinch for food came, 
there was none for the ostrichs, so they had to be 
killed ; they were stuffed and may now be seen at 
Lord Eothschild's famous museum at Tring Park, 
Buckinghamshire. This story of the ostrich 
chicks was related to me by Mr. Aharoni while I 
was celebrating with him the ** Feast of Taber- 
nacles/' under the shade of *^ boughs of goodly- 
trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of 
thick trees, and willows of the brook," and we did 
greatly rejoice, for the Feast was a goodly one. 



200 With the Judeans in Palestine 

and the pottage of Gevareth Aharoni was such as 
my soul loved. 

About this time many military race meetings 
were organized in different parts of Palestine, 
Syria, and Egypt, and officers were encouraged to 
take part in them, and get the men interested in 
the sport, so as to take their thoughts away from 
the absorbing topic of demobilization. On June 
5th, a race meeting was held at Surafend, a few 
miles from Bir Salem, and as we were all ex- 
pected to support the programme, I entered my 
charger Betty for one of the events. 

Betty was a beautiful dark brown creature, but 
somewhat skittish and wayward, like many of her 
sex. I knew her little ways and how to humour 
her to perfection, and she always gave me of her 
best. More than once she managed to slip her 
fastenings in the horse lines, and used her free- 
dom to gallop off to my tent and thrust her 
head through the doorway ; then, apparently satis- 
fied, she would fly back to her place in the lines. 
She appeared at times to see something not vis- 
ible to the human eye, because now and again 
when cantering quietly along, for no apparent 
reason she would suddenly bound aside as if the 
Devil himself had scared her out of her wits. 

The 3rd Lahore Division had at this time on its 
Staff an able and energetic sportsman, Major 
Pott, of the Indian Cavalry; this officer provided 
an excellent programme and ran the meeting with- 
out a hitch. It was a lovely, sunny afternoon, and 
thousands of people flocked to the course, soldiers 
from the camps round about, civilians from Jeru- 



An Exciting Race 201 

salem, Jaffa and the surrounding colonies; the 
Arabs and Bedouins also sent a very strong con- 
tingent. 

In the race for which I had entered Betty (I 
called her Betty in memory of another Betty, also 
beautiful and with a turn of speed!) a full score 
of horses went to the post, and I unfortunately 
drew the outside place. I, therefore, felt that un- 
less I got well away at the start, and secured 
sufficient lead to enable me to cross to the inside, 
I would have but a poor chance of winning, for 
about half way down the course, there was a tre- 
mendous bend to negotiate. I was lucky enough 
to jump away in front, and soon finding myself 
well ahead, swerved across to the inside, where I 
hugged the rails; for three parts of the way 
round, Betty made the running, but, soon after we 
came into the straight for home, I eased her a 
bit and was passed by Major Pott, who was rid- 
ing a well-known mare, also, strange to say, called 
Betty. At the distance, the Major was quite a 
length ahead of me, but I felt that there was still 
plenty of go in my Betty, so I called upon the 
game little mare to show her mettle. Gradually 
she forged herself forward until there was but a 
head between them, and for the last dozen strides 
the two Bettys raced forward dead level amid the 
frantic roars of the crowd all shouting **Go on, 
Betty! Go on, Betty !'^ We both rode for all we 
were worth, my Betty straining every nerve to 
defeat her namesake, and finally, amid terrific 
cheering, by the shortest of heads, Betty won — 
but alas, it was the other Betty!" 



CHAPTER XXVin 

DAMASCUS 

TOWAEDS the end of June I took part in the 
military races at Alexandria, and from the 
''home town'' of Hypatia I took ship and 
went to Beyrout — a lovely seaport, nestling under 
the mighty and magnificent Lebanon. Here I was 
most hospitably entertained by my friends, the 
Bustroses. From the balcony of her palatial resi- 
dence, Madam Bustros enjoys a view second to 
none in the world; every imaginable fruit and 
flower grows and blooms on her estate. Beyrout 
is undoubtedly a place of milk and honey, and is 
unquestionably within the Biblical boundaries of 
the Promised Land. Ezekiel xlvii. 17 states ''and 
the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan, the 
border of Damascus and the north northward 
and the border of Hamath.'' This was the north- 
ern boundary assigned to Israel and was actually 
occupied in the days of David and Solomon. My 
journey across the Lebanons was one long feast 
of the most beautiful scenery in the world. As we 
topped the range, my last peep of mountain and 
valley, stretching away down to Beyrout, hemmed 
in by the glittering sea, was like a vision of Para- 
dise. 

208 



Damascus 203 

Instead of going to Damascus direct, I branched 
off at Ryak, and ran up the Bakaa, the valley 
which stretches between Lebanon and anti- 
Lebanon, to Baalbec, where I spent a wonderful 
time amid the mighty ruins of that ancient temple 
to Baal. Baalbec is the most beautiful and im- 
pressive ruin that it has ever been my good for- 
tune to look upon. Thebes may exceed it in size, 
but the wonder of Egypt had not the effect upon 
me that was produced when I stood under the 
magnificent columns of this great temple to the 
heathen god. I wandered through the vast pile, 
an insignificant speck amidst its gigantic pillars 
and fallen lintels, overthrown and shattered by 
the devastating earthquake which centuries ago 
wrecked this mighty structure. Who were the 
architects who designed it, and who were the en- 
gineers who set on high those stupendous blocks? 
Verily, there were giants in those days. 

At Baalbec railway station I came across one 
of the prettiest girls I had seen for many a long 
day engaged in selling peaches. She was a Syrian 
from Lebanon, which is noted for the beauty of 
its maidens ; I overheard her companions address 
this houri of the mountains as '^Edeen.'^ While 
I was standing waiting for my train to arrive, a 
dust storm suddenly sprang up, and when it was 
over, Edeen sat down and calmly licked the dust 
off every peach until they all bloomed again in 
her basket; then presently she presented the 
fruit, fresh and shining, to the incoming pas- 
sengers who eagerly bought it from the smiling 



204 With the Judeans in Palestine 

damsel! I need hardly say that peaches were 
^^off" for me during the rest of my trip, for not 
all sellers were beautiful as Edeen! 

A few hours in the train took me over the Anti- 
Lebanon and I caught my first glimpse of Damas- 
cus, the most ancient of cities, which I had long 
desired to see. When Mohammed was a camel 
driver, making a caravan journey from Medina 
to Aleppo, the story goes that he once camped 
on a hill overlooking Damascus. His companions 
asked him to join them and go into the city for 
a spree. He replied, ''Xo, Paradise should only 
be entered after death ! ' ' I viewed the city from 
the same spot, but not being so sure of my here- 
after as was the Prophet, I decided to take my 
chance of entering this earthly Paradise while it 
offered. 

It is rightly described as a pearl set in emer- 
alds. "WHiite mosques, minarets, and cupolas peep 
dazzlingly in all directions out of the emerald 
foliage. Trees, gardens, and flowers of all kinds 
abound in this delectable city, whose charm is en- 
hanced by the murmur of the many rivers running 
through it. I, too, like Xaaman the Syrian found 
^'Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, bet- 
ter than all the waters of Israel. ' ^ The latter is in 
the district, and runs some ten miles to the south 
of the oldest city in the world. The great Saladin 
is buried in Damascus and I, of course, made a 
pilgrimage to the tomb of this famous warrior. 

I like to avoid the caravanserais set up for 
Europeans as much as possible when travelling in 



Damascus 205 

the East, so that I may see something of the life 
of the people. In this way one has many pleas- 
ant little adventures, experiences, and remem- 
brances, which give zest to life. While lunching 
at a famous Arab restaurant, I made the acquaint- 
ance of Dr. Yuseff, a well-known medical man of 
Damascus and Beyrout; among other subjects 
we talked horses and races, and we became such 
good friends that he lent me his fiery, pure-bred 
Arab steed to ride while sight-seeing in the neigh- 
bourhood — a sure token of friendship from this 
cultured Arab of Syria. 

Just on the outskirts of the city, on the banks 
of the river Barada (the Biblical Abana), I had 
noticed a Bedouin camp crowded with good-look- 
ing horses, so thither I went and called on the 
Sheik of the tribe. While sitting with the elders 
in a huge circle sipping coffee out of tiny cups, I 
discovered from their conversation that my hosts 
were wandering Kurds, who were just about to 
set off for the confines of Persia. I hinted that I 
would like to join their caravan, and was imme- 
diately given a warm welcome, but much as I 
should have liked to roam the desert with them, I 
had to think of my Jewish Battalion waiting for 
me at Bir Salem. The Kurds expressed much 
interest when I told them I had to go on a pil- 
grimage to El Kuds (meaning Jerusalem), as of 
course they were good Moslems and reverenced 
the Holy City. 

On leaving Damascus I travelled down the Hed- 
jaz Railway as far as Deraa. The moment the an- 



206 With the Judeans in Palestine 

cient Syrian capital is left, the train enters the 
desert, the home of the Ishmaelites. These bold 
rovers, from time immemorial, have hunted and 
harried the peaceful traveller caught toiling 
through their fastnesses. We were not molested, 
for the simple reason that troops of Cavalry, 
British and Indian, were posted at strategic 
points all along the railway. A few months later, 
when we withdrew from these parts, the Bedouins 
began their old games, and took a fierce joy in 
derailing trains, and robbing, and even killing 
the passengers. In this way a good friend of 
mine, Comandante Bianchini, an officer of the 
Royal Italian Navy, met his untimely end at the 
hands of these desert marauders. Bianchini was 
deeply interested in, and worked hard for, the 
Zionist cause, and his loss is a sad blow to his 
many friends. A more cheery, lovable man never 
sailed the seas. 

"We reached Deraa (the ancient Edrei) without 
incident, and then branched off westward to 
Haifa, the train clambering down and around the 
precipitous sides of the Yarmuk Escarpment, past 
the southern shore of the Lake of Galilee at 
Samakh, across the Jordan and running parallel 
to it for some miles, then curving upwards out of 
the Jordan Valley into the Valley of Jezreel, 
which continues into the plain of Esdraelon. 
These narrow plains, the heritage of Issachar, 
sever the head of Palestine from the body, or, in 
other words, separate Galilee from Samaria and 
Judea. To use an Irishism, this neck has been 



Damascus 207 

the '^ Achilles* heeP' of Israel throughout her 
history. All down the ages armies from Baby- 
lonia, Assyria, Persia, and Egypt have marched 
and countermarched through this fertile belt. 
Open passes southward made Samaria an easy 
prey. Beisan (the ancient Bethshan) which 
guards the eastern end and dominates the pas- 
sage over the Jordan was generally in the hands 
of the stranger. 

It was in the neighbourhood of this famous old 
stronghold that Barak defeated Sisera, captain 
of the host of Jaban, king of the Canaanites — a 
victory celebrated in the famous Song of Deborah. 
It was also in this neighborhood that Gideon 
smote the Midianites. His motto '^The sword of 
the Lord and of Gideon'' was also the motto of 
the Zionists who served England so stoutly in 
Gallipoli, and it was a curious coincidence that, 
just as the shouting and clamour of Gideon's 
three companies routed the Midianites, so did the 
Zion Mules rout the Turkish Army, when, with 
rattling chains and clattering hoofs, they stam- 
peded one dark night and galloped through the 
Turks as they were creeping stealthily up to 
attack the British trenches! 

Later on in the military history of the Israel- 
ites we find the Philistines battling for the su- 
premacy on these plains and overthrowing the 
army of Israel under their first king, Saul, who 
in the bitterness of defeat and finding that he 
could not escape, fell on his sword and died on 
Mount Gilboa. In the same battle and the same 



208 With the Judeans in Palestine 

place, the death of Jonathan pnt an end to his 
immortal friendship with David and called forth 
the famous lament, ^ ^ The beauty of Israel is slain 
upon thy high places ; how are the mighty fallen. ' ' 

These stories of the Old Testament flashed viv- 
idly through my mind as we rolled onward 
through this historic valley, between Mount Gil- 
boa and Beisan on our left, and the cone-shaped 
Mount Tabor away on the right. Other countries 
and other scenes were recalled to my mind when I 
spied half a dozen beautiful antelope near some 
standing corn, and my thoughts of Africa were 
further intensified when I caught a glimpse on 
the railway bank of a huge black snake, some six 
feet long, rapidly darting away out of danger. 
Soon afterwards, on looking to the north, I saw 
Nazareth perched upon a southern Galilean hill- 
top. We wound in and out by the brook Kishon, 
where Elijah smote the false prophets. Finally 
we passed along the mighty shoulder of Mount 
Carmel into that great natural anchorage of 
Haifa, nestling under its shadow; then southward 
to Ludd and Bir Salem — ^the whole train journey 
from Damascus taking some fifteen hours, and 
giving me an unrivalled feast of Biblical land- 
scapes. 

Early in July I visited Acre to take part in the 
races there (which proved a fiasco owing to the 
antics of the starter), and suddenly found myself 
close to the dwelling of the famous Abdul Baha, 
the exponent of the doctrine of the brotherhood 
of man. He certainly has a wide field before him 



Damascus 209 

for, at the present moment, there seems to be very 
little brotherly love in any part of the world ! His 
particular mission is to unite the people of the 
earth, and do away with all barriers of race, creed, 
and prejudice. Since Patriarchs, Popes, Arch- 
bishops, Mullahs, and Ministers of all creeds have 
failed to make humanity realize the necessity of 
** brotherly love,*' the League of Nations would 
be well advised to adopt the Sage of Acre and 
make him President of a ** League of Teachers, '* 
pledged to inculcate love for one's fellow man as 
the cardinal feature of his curriculum. One thing 
is certain, the League of Nations will never bring 
the world into harmony unless the young are 
taught to love and help their brothers, irrespective 
of nationality. 

It will be remembered that Acre was the town 
to which Napoleon laid siege, after his wonderful 
march from Egypt with about ten thousand 
French Infantry. This extraordinary man was 
able to cross the Sinai Desert with his army, with- 
out either roads, railway, or water supply, cap- 
ture Gaza, Jaffa, and Haifa with ease, and only 
for the British Fleet would undoubtedly have 
added Acre, and probably all Syria, to his spoils. 
Those who have traversed the Sinai sands in a 
comfortable railway coach can afford to pay a 
warm tribute to this redoubtable warrior, and to 
the no less redoubtable Infantry of France. 



CHAPTER XXIX 

AMONG THE PHILISTINES 

WHEN General Hoskin left Bir Salem to 
take up a command in England, he was 
replaced by Major General Sir John Shea, 
Tinder whom we had served for a short time in 
the line. If this officer had not been called else- 
where, I am quite sure that the regrettable inci- 
dents which I shall have to relate would never 
have taken place, but, unfortunately. General Shea 
was away practically all the time we were attached 
to his Division and a Senior Brigadier acted in 
his place. This Brigadier was apparently well 
aware of the anti-Jewish attitude taken up by 
certain members of the G. H. Q. Staff, and 
trimmed his sails accordingly, but unfortunately 
for himself, as the sequel will show, his zeal to 
second their ill-advised efforts carried him to 
such lengths that even those influential members, 
whose policy he was supporting, were unable to 
save him from the consequencs of his own out- 
rageous folly. 

No sooner had we come under his command 
than his anti-Semitic bias became apparent. Cer- 
tain areas were placed out of bounds to ** Jewish 
soldiers,*' but not to men in other Battalions. 

210 



Among the Philistines 211 

Jewish soldiers were so molested by the Military 
Police, that the only way they could enjoy a peace- 
ful walk outside camp limits was by removing 
their Fusilier badges and substituting others 
which they kept conveniently in their pockets for 
the purpose. They found that by adopting this 
method they were never interfered with by the 
Military police. Traditional British fair play 
seemed to have taken wings as soon as General Z 
appeared on the scene. I repeatedly made official 
complaints about the way the men were perse- 
cuted, but nothing was done to mend matters. 
As a British officer I felt ashamed to hold my 
head up in my own camp, owing to the unfair and 
un-English treatment to which the men were sub- 
jected. 

It may well be imagined that this attitude of 
the Staff made my command anything but an 
easy one. In the first place, knowing how all 
ranks were discriminated against, no officer or 
man wished to remain in the Battalion. It was 
exceedingly difficult under the circumstances to 
get the best out of the men. While we were with 
the Anzacs, although we suffered exceedingly 
from the deadly climate in the desolate Jordan 
Valley, yet we were all thoroughly happy, because 
we were treated with justice and sympathy by 
the Staff and by all other ranks in that famous 
division. At Bir Salem, on the contrary, we were 
anything but a happy unit. 

It will be remembered that before we left Rafa 
the Battalion had been swamped by about eight 



212 With the Judeans in Palestine 

hundred recruits. Physically they were a very 
fine lot but, being young and hailing from the 
United States, they were a bit wild and difficult 
to handle. The moment they joined the Battalion 
they had to do real hard soldiering and were put 
on outposts and detachments up and down the 
country, guarding thousands of prisoners of war, 
long stretches of railway line, millions of pounds 
worth of munitions, food, ordnance supplies, etc. 
In fact, so arduous were these duties that the 
men had scarcely more than every alternate night 
in bed, although it is the rule in the Army that, 
whenever possible, every man should be allowed 
at least three consecutive nights' rest. The great 
majority of my old trained men of the 38th had, 
by this time, either been demobilised, invalided 
to England, or employed on special duties between 
Cairo and Aleppo, so that a great part of the 
heavy duties which had to be carried out fell on 
the American recruits. There was absolutely no 
time to train these men, and I consider it was 
really wonderful that they did so well under the 
circumstances. 

I know of no more heart-breaking task for a 
Commanding Officer than to endeavour to keep a 
Battalion in a high state of discipline when he is 
surrounded by a hostile Staff, apparently all out 
to irritate and humiliate both officers and men. 
From ** reveille" to ^^ lights out'' it was a case of 
countering the actions of those in authority, 
which constantly tended to create discontent and 
ill-feeling in our ranks. I may mention that I had 



Among the Philistines 213 

scores of protests from the men, often daily, 
owing to the persecution to which they were sub- 
jected while we were at Bir Salem. Is it to be 
wondered at that, suffering all these things, some 
of the American volunteers at last became restive 
and asked themselves, **Why should we serve 
England and be treated like dogsT' 

I often felt it necessary to. speak to the men, 
for I knew that their loyalty was strained almost 
to breaking point. At such moments I told them 
that the honour of Jewry rested on their shoul- 
ders and no matter what provocation they might 
be subjected to, they must at all times remain 
steadfast. The Imperial Government in England 
was sound and sympathetic to their ideals, and 
eventually justice must prevail and the evil days 
through which we were passing would soon 
come to an end. I appealed to them as Jews to 
be good soldiers, and to their credit they always 
responded. 

Before this persecution became acute, volun- 
teers were called for to serve with the Army of 
Occupation in Palestine. Several hundred Ameri- 
can enthusiasts in the Battalion offered their serv- 
ices, but, owing to the treatment they received, 
their enthusiasm died out, and they requested that 
they should be demobilized and repatriated. A 
small party of these American citizens who were 
on outpost duty at Belah, some sixty miles to the 
south of Bir Salem, sent in a signed memorial 
requesting demobilisation, otherwise they stated 
that they would refuse to do duty after a cer- 



214 With the Judeans in Palestine 

tain date which was mentioned. This document 
I, of course, forwarded to Divisional Headquar- 
ters. 

I had been writing to the authorities for months, 
requesting that these men should be demobilised 
and sent back to the United States, and at last I 
heard, unofficially, that the order for repatriation 
was on its way. I sent my Adjutant to inform the 
Belah men that their release was coming through 
in the course of a few days, and to tell them to 
carry on meanwhile like good soldiers. More than 
half of the men responded, but the rest, being 
young and untrained, refused to perform any 
further soldierly duties after the expiration of the 
time limit; they just remained quietly in their 
tents, for they wished to bring matters to a head. 
I am glad to say that the Jewish soldiers, both 
Americans and British, serving with me at Bir 
Salem, stood firm and carried out their duties as 
usual. 

After personal investigation into the conduct of 
these foolish youths at Belah, I remanded them 
for trial by Field General Court Martial, and 
forwarded the charge sheets, with summaries of 
evidence to General Z. I had framed the charge 
sheets most carefully, but apparently my drafting 
did not suit the General, for he framed fresh 
charges of mutiny and sent his A. D. C. with them 
to me for immediate signature. I had but a mo- 
ment to scan the charge sheets for the A. D. C. was 
impatient to catch a train which was due to leave. 
I did not like the GeneraPs drafting, but, being a 



Among the Philistines 215 

very obedient soldier, I duly signed th^ doou- 
ments as ordered and handed them back to the 
waiting Staff Officer, wishing him luck with them 
as he galloped off. 

According to King's Regulations, a soldier re- 
manded for trial by Court Martial has the right 
to request the help of an officer to act as his friend 
at the trial, and of course it is the bounden duty 
of such officer to do everything in his power to get 
the accused acquitted. The Belah men petitioned 
Lieut. Jabotinsky to act as their advocate and he, 
somewhat unwillingly, assented to undertake the 
ungrateful task. He was not anxious to defend 
these men of Belah, because he held that they 
should have carried out their duties faithfully to 
the end, even although they felt that they had a 
grievance against authority. 

The trial took place at Kantara, and, in the 
course of it, Lieut. Jabotinsky pointed out a fatal 
flaw in the charge sheets, with the result that the 
charge of mutiny failed, and the Court had to be 
dissolved. The President (who belonged to Major 
General Louis Jean Bols' late Regiment) was 
furious at the fiasco and said, ^^This is all the fault 
of Colonel Patterson and I shall report him.'' My 
Adjutant, Captain Sandison, a staunch and sturdy 
Scot, was present in Court as Prosecutor, and 
knowing all the facts of the case, at once turned 
on the President and said, **You have no right, 
Sir, to make such a statement about my Com- 
manding Officer. The G. 0. C. Division rejected 
his charge sheets, which were in perfect order, and 



216 With the Judeans in Palestine 

framed the faulty ones himself, so now yon know 
whom to report.'^ 

A new court had to be convened, but the men 
were now arraigned merely on the lesser charge 
of disobeying an order. Even on this lesser charge 
they were savagely sentenced to various terms of 
penal servitude, ranging from seven years down- 
wards. Had they been found guilty by the first 
Court on the charge of mutiny, I presume they 
would all have been shot! 

I am confident that, if these young Americans 
had been properly trained as soldiers, this Belah 
incident would never have taken place. I had 
given the authorities ample warning of what was 
likely to happen when these recruits were thrust 
upon me, but my advice was ignored. All I can 
say is that if an Australian, an English, Irish, or 
a Scottish Battalion had been treated as this Jew- 
ish Battalion was treated, Divisional Headquar- 
ters would have gone up in flames and the General 
himself would probably have gone up with it. Be 
it noted that the mutineers of other British units, 
the men who had openly defied all authority, and 
set Kantara in a blaze, were not even put on 
trial! 

Until the recruits were forcibly thrust upon me, 
I can vouch for it that the 38th Battalion Eoyal 
Fusiliers was one of the most exemplary units 
that ever took the field, crime being practically 
unknown. The men endured hard marching, hard 
knocks, fatiguing manual labour, at times scanty 
rations of food and water, the seething heat of the 



Among the Philistines 217 

Jordan Valley and the anti-Semitism of the local 
military authorities, and withal gained the highest 
praise from the General Officer commanding un- 
der whom they served in the field. 

Notwithstanding the fact that we were so 
despitefully used, the authorities found that the 
men's services were invaluable. In addition to 
garrisoning large areas of Palestine, I had offi- 
cers, N. C. O.'s and men holding all kinds of im- 
portant posts throughout the E. E. F. from 
Aleppo to Cairo. The demand for men from the 
38th Battalion was ever on the increase, for ex- 
ecutive officers found the Jewish soldier steady, 
sober, and reliable — three qualities the impor- 
tance of which I was always impressing on the 
men, although, as a matter of fact, sobriety is 
one of the outstanding: virtues of the Jewish 
soldier. 



CHAPTER XXX 

THE FALL OP GOLIATH 

THE violent anti-Semitism shown by General 
Z at last reached such a pitch that on one oc- 
casion — July 16th, to be exact — he rode into 
camp and, without the slightest provocation, 
abused and insulted the men, threatened some of 
them, and actually went so far as to strike an 
unoffending private soldier with his whip, using 
at the same time language which would make Bil- 
lingsgate blush. I was not present at the time of 
this outrage, but I heard a full account of all 
that happened from various eye-witnesses who re- 
ported the aaffir, and all I could imagine was that 
the General must have suddenly gone insane. The 
whole Battalion was in an uproar, and I had much 
ado to pacify the men and keep things going. 

The man who was struck was sent to Hospital 
with a swollen arm, and the other men who were 
specifically insulted reported to me at the orderly 
room and complained of the treatment they had 
received. I forwarded their complaint to General 
Z, together with the sick report of the man he 
had struck with his whip. He replied, requesting 
me to have these particular men paraded, so that 
he might speak to them. 

21t 



The Fall of Goliath 219 

I arranged for this embarrassing interview, and, 
to prevent any hostility which the outraged Bat- 
talion might have shown towards General Z when 
he entered the camp, I kept the men in their tents, 
with N. C. 0/s in charge of each door, with in- 
structions to see that no untoward incident took 
place. On arrival the General apologised to the 
insulted men, but so indignant were they that 
at first they refused to accept it, or to shake hands 
when he offered to do so. Finally, after over half 
an hour^s persuasion, they agreed to accept his 
apology, provided it was given publicly, and also 
to the whole Battalion on parade. This he did, 
very fully, and I sincerely hoped that the incident 
was happily ended, and that for the future, 
in dealing with us. General Z would see that 
no injustice was done merely because we were 
Jews. 

To compensate for all the misfortunes we were 
called upon to endure, our life in the Battalion 
itself was quite smooth and happy, all pulling 
well together. Personally, I took no thought 
whether a man was a Jew or Gentile. I remember 
that an officer joined us while we were serving at 
the front, and, through some misunderstanding, 
I took him to be a Jewish officer. He distinguished 
himself later and earned the M. C. which pleased 
me very much, for I was always glad when I was 
able to recommend a Jewish officer for promotion 
or reward. I sent this officer with nine others to 
form a ^^Minyan*' (the number required to hold a 
Jewish religious service), at the burial of a Jewish 



220 With the Judeans in Palestine 

soldier who was killed on the day we captured the 
Umm esh Shert Ford, and it was not until after 
this incident happened that I discovered he was a 
Gentile. 

There was one exception, however, to the gen- 
eral harmony and esprit de corps of the Battalion. 
A Staff Officer was sent to do duty with us from 
G. H. Q. where he had been employed for over a 
year. Some time after his arrival he publicly 
insulted one of my Jewish officers and refused to 
apologise. The matter was then brought before 
me, and, as he still remained obdurate, I brought 
him before General Z. When asked by the latter 
why he had insulted the Jewish officers his reply 
was, **I don't like Jews. The Jews are not liked 
at G. H. Q., and you know it, Sir/' The General 
ordered him to apologise, which I must say he did 
most handsomely, but his remarks about the dis- 
like of Jews at G. H. Q., though no news to me or 
the General, may be somewhat illuminating to the 
reader ! 

Although we hoped that all unpleasantness 
with the General was over, I regret to say that 
this was not the case. I could give many instances 
of unfair treatment to which we were subjected, 
but I will not weary the reader by relating them 
here. After his apology the General never again 
came near us, and every indignity, slight, and 
petty tyranny that could be invented was put upon 
the Battalion. The whole subsequent attitude of 
the G. 0. C. showed us that his apology was 
merely eyewash, and had simply been extracted 



The Fall of Goliath 221 

from him by fear of the consequences of his out- 
rageous behaviour. In fact, in the end, I had to 
bring his conduct to the notice of the C.-in-C, 
with the result that he was removed from his 
command and no longer troubled Israel. 



CHAPTER XXXI 

PKO TESTS 

IN case any readers may think tliat my account 
is exaggerated, I give some letters of protest 
which I received from some of the officers in 
my Battalion. From this it will be seen what a 
difficult position I was placed in, owing to the 
policy of G. H. Q. towards Jewish aspirations. 
A few interested parties, for their own ends, 
sedulously spread the rumour that there was no 
anti-Semitism shown in Palestine. I will leave the 
reader to judge whether these people were knaves 
or fools: 

*^Ludd, 4/7/19. 
''A7/48. 
''Sir: 

'*I beg to report that the men are discontented, not 
only in our Battalion, but also in the other Jewish Units, 
which cannot fail influencing our men still more. 

"The causes of their discontent are much deeper 
than delay of demobilization. Over 3/7 of the Judeans 
in this country are men who volunteered to serve in 
Palestine in the name of their Zionist ideals, and in 
reply to the pledge embodied in the declaration which 
Mr. Balfour, on behalf of H. M. Government issued on 
November 2, 1917. 

**It is now a general impression among our soldiers, 



Protests 223 

an impression shared by the public opinion of Palestine, 
that this pledge has been broken, so far as local authori- 
ties are concerned. 

"Palestine has become the theatre of an undisguised 
anti-Semitic policy. Elementary equality of rights is 
denied the Jewish inhabitants ; the Holy City where the 
Jews are by far the largest community, has been handed 
over to a militantly anti-Semitic municipality; violence 
against Jews is tolerated, and whole districts are closed 
to them by threats of violence under the very eyes of 
the authorities; high officials, guilty of acts which any 
Court would qualify as instigation to anti-Jewish po- 
groms, not only go unpunished, but retain their official 
positions. The Hebrew language is officially disre- 
garded and humiliated ; anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism 
is the fashionable attitude among officials who take 
their cue from superior authority; and honest attempts 
to come to an agreement with the Arabs are being frus- 
trated by such means as penalising those Arab notables 
who betray pro-Jewish feeling. 

' ' The Jewish soldier is treated as an outcast. The hard 
and honest work of our Battalions is recompensed by 
scorn and slander, which, starting from centres of high 
authority, have now reached the rank and file, and en- 
venomed the relations between Jewish and English sol- 
diers. When there is a danger of anti-Jewish excesses, 
Jewish soldiers are removed from the threatened areas 
and employed on fatigues, and not even granted the 
right to defend their own flesh and blood. 

* ' Passover was selected to insult their deepest religious 
feelings, by barring them access to the Wailing Wall 
during that week. No Jewish detachment is allowed to 
be stationed in Jerusalem, or any of the other holy cities 
of Jewry. 

''When a Jewish sentry is attacked and beaten by a 
dozen drunken soldiers, and a drunken officer disarms 
with ignominy a Jewish guard, nobody is punished. 
Leave to certain towns has become a torture because the 



224 With the Judeans in Palestine 

Military Police have been specially instructed to hunt the 
Jew, and the weaker ones among our men escape this 
humiliation by concealing their regimental badge, and 
substituting the badge of some other unit. 

**In addition, army pledges given to them are also 
disregarded; men who were recruited for service in 
Palestine are sent against their will to Messina or Egypt 
or Cyprus; men who enlisted under the understanding 
that their pay would be equal to that of any British 
soldier, suddenly discover that no allowances will be paid 
to their wives and children. 

* ' Under these conditions, even some of the best among 
them give way to despair ; they see no purpose in carry- 
ing on, conscious that the great pledge has been broken, 
that instead of a National Home for the Jewish people, 
Palestine has become the field of operations of official 
anti-Semitism; they abhor the idea of covering with 
their tacit connivance what they — and not they alone — 
consider a fraud. 

**They cannot formulate these grievances in full, nor 
gather the documents necessary to prove them, but under 
their desire to 'get out of the show' there is bitter dis- 
appointment, one of the most cruel even in Jewish 
history. 

"You, Sir, have always been in favour of speeding up 
their demobilisation; I, as you know was of the opinion 
that it is the duty of every volunteer to stick to the 
Jewish Kegiment as long as circumstances might de- 
mand, and I still hope that many will stick to it in 
spite of all. But even I myself am compelled to admit 
that things have reached a stage when no further moral 
sacrifice can fairly be demanded of men whose faith has 
been shattered. 

* ' I only hope that those who give up the struggle will 
not follow the example of a few misguided irrespon- 
sibles who chose the wrong way to support a right claim. 
I hope that they will await their release in a calm and 
dignified manner, discharging their duties to the last 



Protests 225 

moment, and thus giving those who misrule this country 
a lesson in fair play — a lesson badly needed. 
**I remain, Sir, 

* ' Your obedient servant, 

X X 
''To Lieut. Colonel J. H. Patterson, D. S. 0., 
''Comdg. 38th Bn. Royal Fusiliers." 

''X. X. 

''Bir Salem, 
''17/7/1919. 
"To: Officer Commanding 

"38th Royal Fusiliers. 
"Sir: 

"I have the honour to request that this application 
praying that I may be permitted to resign my Commis- 
sion in His Majesty's Forces, be forwarded through 
the usual channels, together with the undermentioned 
reasons for my taking this step after having originally 
volunteered for the Army of Occupation. 

"My resignation. Sir, is my only method of protest 
against the grossly unfair, and all too prevalent dis- 
crimination against the Battalion to which I have the 
honour to belong. I desire to point out to you, Sir, the 
fact that this unfair and un-British attitude affects not 
only my honour as a Jew, but my prestige as a British 
Officer, and this latter point must inevitably handicap me 
in the efficient discharge of my military duties. 

"The disgraceful exhibition of yesterday morning is 
but a fitting climax to the endless series of insults and 
annoyances to which this Battalion — because it is a 
Jewish Battalion — has been subjected, almost since our 
first arrival in the E. E. F. Insults to a Battalion as a 
whole. Sir, are insults directed to every individual 
member of that Battalion, and as long as I remain a 
member of His Majesty's Forces, I regret to say I find 
myself unable to fittingly resent in a manner compatible 
with my own honour, and the honour of my race, the 



226 With the Judeans in Palestine 

insulting attitude towards my race, and through my race, 
towards me, of my military superiors. 

''In passing, may I point out that my being a Jew 
did not prevent me doing my duty m France, in Flan- 
ders and in Palestine, and in the name of the countless 
dead of my race who fell doing their duty in every 
theatre of war, I resent and resent very strongly indeed, 
the abusive attitude at present prevalent towards Jewish 
troops. 

* ' I have innumerable instances of petty spite, and not 
a few cases of a very serious character indeed, all of 
which I can readily produce should the occasion ever 
arise. 

''I have the honour to be. Sir, 

''Your obedient servant. 

It was not only my Jewish oflficers who found 
life unbearable under these conditions, but the 
other officers also felt the strain. I received the 
following letter from one of my senior Christian 
Officers after an outburst on the part of the Staff : 

"To the 0. C. 

"38th Battalion Eoyal Fusiliers. 
"Sir: 

"I have the honour to request that I be immediately 
relieved of my duties and permitted to proceed to Eng- 
land for demobilization. I am forty years of age and 
have had nothing except my desire to do my duty to 
keep me in the Service. The impossible conditions forced 
on the Battalion by higher authority are too much for 
me, and I very much regret that I should have to trouble 
you with this application at the present time. 

"I have the honour to be, Sir, 

"Your obedient servant, 

"Bir Salem, August 24, 1919.' ' 



Protests 227 

Letters such as these give some slight concep- 
tion of the extremely difficult position in which I 
was placed. On the one hand I had to ward off 
the blows aimed at the Battalion by the local 
authorities, while on the other hand I had to do 
my utmost to allay the angry feelings of my offi- 
cers, N. C. O.'s and men, goaded almost to des- 
peration by the attitude adopted towards the Bat- 
talion. 

This anti-Jewish policy was directed not only 
against the Jewish Battalions, but also in a flag- 
rant manner against the Jewish civil population, 
upon whom every indignity was poured; in fact, 
the British Military Administration made of the 
famous Balfour Declaration — the declared policy 
of the British Government — a by-word and a 
laughing stock. 

Early in 1919 the Chief Administrator then in 
office in Palestine, the man who represented the 
British Government, offered a public insult to the 
Jews at a Jewish concert, by deliberately sitting 
down and ordering his staff to do the same, when 
the Hatikvah, the Jewish national hymn, was 
being sung, while of course, all others were 
standing. This was as deliberate an insult as can 
be offered to the feelings of any people. England 
must be in a bad way when a man such as this is 
appointed to represent her as Governor. 

Judge Brandeis, of the United States Supreme 
Court, visited Palestine about the time when these 
anti-Jewish manifestations were at their height, 
and was shocked and horrified at the un-English 



228 With the Judeans in Palestine 

attitude lie saw adopted toward the Jews and all 
things Jewish. I myself told him of the mockery 
of the Balfour Declaration as exemplified by the 
British Military Administration in Palestine, and 
said I thought it was a pity that Mr. Balfour had 
not added three more words to his famous utter- 
ance. The Judge asked me what words I meant, 
and I said they were that Palestine was to be a 
national home for *'the baiting of* the Jewish 
people ! 

I know that Judge Brandeis went home hur- 
riedly, very much perturbed at what he heard and 
saw, which was so contrary in everything to the 
spirit of the declared policy of England. He 
represented the state of affairs in Palestine to 
Downing Street, with the result that the local 
military authorities were told that the policy as 
laid down in the Balfour Declaration must be 
carried out. This was a sad blow to those pur- 
blind ones, who had looked forward to a long rule 
in the Middle East ; for them the writing was al- 
ready on the wall. I want it to be clearly under- 
stood that this attitude was merely the policy of 
the local officials, who by their attitude were prac- 
tically defying and deriding the policy of Eng- 
land, as expressed by the Home Government. 



CHAPTER XXXII 

A TRIP TO THE SEA OF GALILEE 

I HAD long looked forward to a visit to the 
Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias), and even- 
tually, late in October, my ambition was ful- 
filled, for, taking advantage of ^* Damascus week,'^ 
when leave was easy to get, I slipped off from 
Ludd one morning at eight-thirty and arrived at 
Samakh on the southern shores of the lake, at 
two o'clock in the afternoon. My first peep of 
the Lake, as it stretched out before me and melted 
away in the purple haze to the north, was delight- 
ful. The colouring was superb and, as I sat on 
the edge of the rickety pier, I drank in my novel 
surroundings with all the enthusiasm of a rap- 
turous pilgrim. 

The Lake glistened and glinted in the brilliant 
sunshine, the abrupt arid-looking hillsides deep- 
ened the silent mystery that seemed to hang over 
it. Away to the right was the spot where the Gad- 
arene swine, possessed of the evil spirits, rushed 
down to the sea and destroyed themselves. Peer- 
ing through my glasses straight north, I could see 
in the shimmering distance the dense groves of 
evergreens which told me that this was the place 



230 With the Judeans in Palestine 

where the Jordan plunged down from '*the waters 
of Merom'^ through a rocky gorge, and entered 
the Lake. Away to the left I caught a glimpse of 
a few trees and houses, and I realized that I was 
looking at Capernaum, the place in which, it will 
be remembered, the worthy Roman centurion 
built a synagogue. Glancing further west and 
somewhat nearer to me, I saw the site of Beth- 
saida ; sweeping further westward and yet nearer, 
the round towers and rectangular walls of Tiber- 
ias itself stood revealed, while close to my left 
hand, at the southwest corner of the Lake, the 
thriving Jewish colony of Kinnereth overlooked 
the spot where the Jordan rushed out of the Lake 
on its way to the Dead Sea. Round about me were 
children revelling in the limpid water, and even 
a few discretedly veiled damsels displayed a fair 
share of their neat limbs, while paddling along 
the sandy shore in the shade of the cliffs. 

Suddenly into all this old-world scenery there 
dashed a lively motor-boat which had come from 
Tiberias to collect passengers. We scrambled 
down from the crazy pier, and within an hour 
found ourselves climbing up the moth-eaten gang- 
way leading to Tiberias, a city which stands to- 
day much as King Herod Antipas, the builder, 
left it, although in the meantime it has been much 
devastated by earthquakes. I was agreeably sur- 
prised to find a clean and fairly comfortable hotel, 
most capably managed by Frau Grossmann. It 
was still hot at Tiberias, and yet, by some mys- 
terious means, Frau Grossmann always managed 



A Trip to the Sea of Galilee 231 

to produce a bottle of cold beer for dinner, a most 
grateful drink in this thirsty valley. 

In the early morning, I hired a boat with a good- 
humoured Arab crew of three, and made an expe- 
dition across to Capernaum. Fish are still as 
plentiful here as they were in the days of Simon 
Peter, and the Capernaum fishermen still cast 
their nets as they did in apostolic times, and wear 
just as little clothing. 

As I wandered among the ruins, I met a strik- 
ing Franciscan, Father Vendelene, who was hos- 
pitality itself. He was a venerable German, a very 
fine-looking man, standing over six feet high, 
full of Christian charity and apparently resigned 
to the blow which had fallen upon his nation. Be- 
sides being a monk he was also an architect, and 
had built many monasteries, convents, and 
churches for the Franciscans in many parts of the 
world ; but he had been a soldier before he become 
a monk, and I noticed, as he smoked a pipe and 
related to me his varied career, that his eyes 
glowed, and his broad shoulders were thrown 
back, as he described how he charged at the head 
of his squadron of Hussars in one of the battles 
of the Franco-Prussian war. The good Father 
took me round what was left of the synagogue 
built by the worthy centurion whose servant was 
healed. It must have been a fine piece of archi- 
tecture in its day, and it is a thousand pities that 
it has been levelled to the ground by an earth- 
quake. 

On my return to the hotel I found that two nurs- 



232 With the Judeans in Palestine 

ing sisters had arrived from Egypt, to spend a 
few days at Tiberias, and at dinner I suggested 
that they should join me in my boat on a voyage 
of discovery across the Lake on the following 
morning, and to this they readily agreed. The 
Military Governor of Tiberias had very kindly 
arranged for a mounted escort and a horse to be 
ready for me at the north end of the Lake where 
the Jordan enters it, as I wished to make an ex- 
ploring expedition as far as possible up the river 
towards Lake Merom. 

We left Tiberias at dawn and had a most de- 
lightful trip across the Lake, breakfasting in the 
boat on the way. Sister Cook, who was blessed 
with a charming voice, was moved to song, and 
the time passed so pleasantly that before we knew 
where we were, we found ourselves stuck on a 
sandbar in the Jordan Eiver itself. Our boatman 
hopped out, pushed the boat over the bar into 
deep water, and off we paddled again up the fa- 
mous river. Great fields of ripe maize stretched 
away on either hand, and it was curious to see 
dusky youths perched aloft on stagings, armed 
with a sling, doing slaughter among any birds 
that dared to settle on their crops. We shoved 
the nose of our boat into the bank, took a stroll 
along a path through the tangled undergrowth, 
and soon met a crowd of Bedouins who presented 
us with some delicious maize cobs. In this manner 
we pleasantly meandered up the Jordan, now 
landing on this bank and now on that, as it took 
our fancy, until at last a point was reached where 



\ 




c 




j_, K 




Q 0^ 



A Trip to the Sea of Galilee 233 

the river was so shallow that the boat could go 
no further, and here I found my pony and escort 
awaiting me. 

The latter was composed of local mounted Arab 
gendarmerie under the command of a Jewish 
Corporal, who had at one time served in the 40th 
Battalion Royal Fusiliers, and I noticed with 
pleasure that the Jew and the Arabs seemed to be 
on excellent terms. I charged the boatmen to take 
the sisters to Capernaum, where I told them to call 
on Father Vendelene, who I knew would give 
them a warm welcome. Having seen the boat 
safely started on the way, and with strict injunc- 
tions to the sailors to return for me in good time, 
I mounted my pony and started my exploration of 
the Upper Jordan. 

My escort (who were also supposed to be guides) 
often got completely lost in the dense oleander 
jungle that here abounds, but after many trials 
and tribulations, in the course of which I came 
upon a submerged herd of buffalo sleeping peace- 
fully in a marshy backwater, I emerged torn and 
bleeding at the entrance of the black rocky gorge 
down which the Jordan rushes. Eiding here 
became impossible, so I went on foot until 
the westering sun warned me it was time to 
return. 

On the way back, which was by another and 
much easier route, we came across a stalwart 
Bedouin hunter who, only ^ve days before, had 
shot a splendid leopard on the hillside. I asked 
him if there was any chance of my being able to 



234 With the Judeans in Palestine 

do likewise. He replied that it was possible, but I 
might have to wait a month before I got a shot ; I 
could, however, have other good hunting any day 
I liked, for the thickets were alive with wild boar. 
This man knew every track round about, and, as 
we were still shut in by dense thickets, he volun- 
teered to come with me as a guide to the Lake. On 
parting he refused all offers of money, but later 
I sent him some tobacco, which I hope he received 
safely. My escort, when we reached open level 
country, raced and chased each other on their 
ponies, pulling up suddenly, or darting to the 
right or left in wild career. Both rode thor- 
oughbred Arab mares and were immensely 
proud of their steeds, and their own prowess 
thereon. 

On reaching the Lake, I espied the boat com- 
ing along, and as the water was shallow I urged 
my mount into it and rode out to meet the little 
vessel. The Arab boatmen, singing some quaint 
chorus, came alongside and I slipped off the sad- 
dle on to the gunwale, waved good-bye to my 
friends of the Gendarmerie, and headed the boat 
for Capernaum to pick up the sisters. Here I 
found that they had had a great time. Just as 
they were in the midst of a mild flirtation with 
Father Vendelene, who was showing them round 
his demesne, who should walk in but the Papal 
Legate, Cardinal Filippo Giustini, just arrived 
from Eome on a tour of inspection! The good 
Cardinal was not horrified, however, for he in- 
sisted on the ladies coming into the refectory, 



A Trip to the Sea of Galilee 235 

where he himself poured them out a cup of 
tea. 

On the way back from Capernaum we hugged 
the west coast of the Lake and made a call at 
Migdal, an up-to-date Jewish fruit farm on the 
site of the ancient Magdala, the birthplace of that 
romantic figure in the New Testament, Mary 
Magdalene. Unfortunately, the manager, Mr. 
Glicken, was away, but his representative gave 
us a delightful tea in the open, under the shade 
of an enormous lag tree. Here fruits and flowers 
of all kinds were showered upon us — oranges, 
pomegranates, bananas, nuts, and almonds, all of 
the most delicious flavour. Our boatmen had 
much ado in carying all our gifts down to the 
shore. 

We then skirted the Lake, and when nearing 
Tiberias saw the caves where the famous Jewish 
philosopher, Maimonides, and the two famous 
Eabbis, Meir and Ben Akiba, are buried. Not 
very far from Tiberias is the pit of Joseph, which 
old time Arabian geographers maintain is the 
identical one into which the favourite son of 
Jacob was cast. Darkness was now swiftly coming 
on and, as we neared Tiberias, in the twinkling of 
an eye, a sudden squall burst upon us, and we were 
glad to reach the little haven in safety. Alto- 
gether, it had been a very full day and the sisters 
assured me that they would look upon it as one of 
the red letter days of their lives. 

Before leaving the Sea of Galilee, I made an 
excursion to the wonderful hot sulphur baths. 



236 With the Judeans in Palestine 

about three miles to the south of Tiberias, and 
saw the boiling water gushing out of the cleft in a 
rock. There is a bath house close by where peo- 
ruins of the old city of Tiberias, with its columns 
pie afflicted with rheumatism dip in these medici- 
lial waters and are made whole again. On the way 
back from these springs, I passed through the 
all awry and prostrate, and mounds of debris cov- 
ering a considerable extent. On a hill, just above 
the modern Tiberias, stand the ruins of Herod's 
palace, and I there saw what is reputed to be the 
chamber where Herodias' daughter danced for 
the head of John the Baptist. 

In enterprising hands, Tiberias could be made 
to flourish exceedingly as a winter resort. There 
one can have excellent boating, fishing, boar-hunt- 
ing, explorations on horseback through the exceed- 
ingly interesting country which surrounds it, and 
at the same time cure all one's ills in the wonder- 
ful hot baths. Beautiful Palestinian lace is made 
in this old Hebrew City by industrious Jewish 
girls, and I brought away some very fine exam- 
ples of their work. There is an old synagogue 
near the hot springs where the celebrated Rabbi 
Meyer expounded the Law to Israel. 

Before I left Galilee I met my old friend, Cap- 
tain Trumpeldor, who had served under me in the 
Zion Mule Corps in Gallipoli. I was delighted to 
see this gallant officer once more and we had a 
long chat over old times. Trumpeldor had only 
just returned from Eussia, where he had been or- 
ganizing a Jewish Legion for service in Palestine. 



A Trip to the Sea of Galilee 237 

The Bolsheviks, however, interfered with his 
plans, and he was lucky to escape from their 
clutches. Sad to relate, a few months after our 
meeting in Galilee, Captain Trumpeldor met his 
death there, while defending a Jewish colony 
from a raiding party of Bedouins. He directed 
the defence for two hours after he had been mor- 
tally wounded, and then died, fighting to the last. 
He was one of the most gallant men I have ever 
met, and his loss is keenly felt by all his friends 
and comrades. 

The Sea of Galilee is bound to have an enor- 
mous influence on the economic life of Palestine. 
Here we have stored up practically an unlimited 
supply of latent energy. This great mass of 
water is situated some seven hundred feet above 
the level of the Dead Sea, into which its over- 
flow, the Jordan runs. A canal constructed from 
the southwest comer of Lake Tiberias and graded 
along the Jordan Valley would in the length of 
a few miles give a vertical fall of over three hun- 
dred feet. A suitable hydro-electric plant erected 
at the site of the falls would produce enough 
energy to revolutionise every phase of life in the 
Holy Land. 

It must be remembered that so far neither coal 
nor oil have been found in the country, while for- 
ests do not exist; consequently the cost of all 
kinds of fuel is very high, and industrial under- 
takings, where cheap power is a factor, are out 
of the question. What a Heaven-sent boon, then, 
is this stored-up energy of the blessed Jordan ! 



238 With the Judeans in Palestine 

Cheap light, heat, and power can be had from it 
throughout the length and breadth of Palestine. 
Touch a switch in summer, and a whirling fan 
keeps one's house delightfully cool, while in the 
winter electrical fires will provide warmth in the 
chilly evenings on the hill-tops. Evil-smelling 
paraffin lamps and stoves will be a thing of the 
past, for of course electricity will provide all that 
is necessary in the way of fuel and light. Ample 
power is available for the electrification of the 
existing railways, and of course light tramways 
could be operated all over the country. Great 
areas of land now lying fallow could be irrigated 
and made fruitful, and capable of sustaining a 
large population. 

If Palestine is to become a home for any large 
number of the Jewish people, this great source of 
economic life must be turned to account and all 
the land blessed by the amazing benefits which 
electricity can shower upon it. Jewish brains, 
Jewish capital, and Jewish workers will undoubt- 
edly carry out this scheme, and gradually the 
country which is now arid and neglected will be 
turned once more into a land flowing with milk 
and honey. The hills will again be terraced and 
crowned with fig and olive trees, and the valleys 
and plains will abound with ripening corn. The 
country, which for hundreds of years has been at 
a standstill, lends itself to all kinds of industrial 
enterprises, such as fruit-farming, olive oil and 
soap factories, fishing and canning, etc. The 
trade and commerce that will flow through Pales- 



A Trip to the Sea of Galilee 239 

tine are not to be measured by the paltry revenue 
returns now shown. When the country is de- 
veloped, the old trade routes with the hinterland 
reopened and the ports at Haifa and Jaffa im- 
proved, its importance commercially will be en- 
hanced beyond all recognition. 



CHAPTER XXXIII 

STEANGE METHODS OF THE E. E. F. STAFF 

IT will be remembered that Lieutenant Jabo- 
tinsky was responsible for the idea of form- 
ing a Jewish Legion to help England in her 
struggle for world freedom. The British Gov- 
ernment was impressed with the possibilities he 
placed before it, and eventually he was summoned 
to the War Office by Lord Derby, then Secretary 
of State for War, and the War Cabinet by Gen- 
eral Smuts, to expound his proposals. These high 
officials did not disdain to meet and confer with 
Jabotinsky on the Jewish Legion question, al- 
though at that time he was merely a private sol- 
dier, serving in the 20th Battalion of the Lon- 
don Eegiment. They knew that he held a very high 
place in the Zionist movement, and was looked 
up to by the Jewish masses, the world over, as 
one of its most brilliant young leaders. This fact 
was also known to the Staff of the E. E. F., but 
when, as an officer, in August, 1919, Lieut. Jabo- 
tinsky sought an interview with the Commander- 
in-Chief, hoping that he might induce the local 
authorities to change their Anti-Jewish policy 
in Palestine, he was not only refused a hearing, 
but methods were immediately employed to strike 

240 



strange Methods of the E, E, F. Staff 241 

him down which I can only describe as despicable 
and un-English. 

Jabotinsky was, of course, pro-British to the 
core. During his service in Palestine, he had been 
for a time specially attached to the Zionist Com- 
mission with the sanction of the C.-in-C. While 
he was employed in this capacity he brought 
about the acceptance of a programme by the Jew- 
ish Colonists, expressly calling for a British Man- 
date for Palestine. All through his military serv- 
ice with the Battalion, he, to my personal knowl- 
edge, did his utmost to allay the resentment felt 
by the Jewish soldiers at the bad treatment they 
received at the hands of the military authorities, 
treatment utterly undeserved and uncalled for, 
but apparently deliberately adopted to further 
what appeared to be the local policy of making 
the practical application of the BaKour Declara- 
tion an impossibility. Hostility to all things Jew- 
ish was so open, that only those who wilfully shut 
their eyes could fail to see the game that was 
being played by certain interested parties. Jabo- 
tinsky saw that the line of action adopted must 
inevitably lead to outbreaks against the Jews, 
and naturally wanted to ward off such a calamity. 

Do not let the reader imagine that there was 
bad blood between the Palestinian Arabs and the 
Zionists. That both had dwelt together in amity 
and concord for over forty years is proof to the 
contrary. The Anti-Jewish outbreak, which ac- 
tually took place later on, was carefully fostered, 
and the hooligan element amongst the Arabs 



242 With the Judeans in Palestine 

openly encouraged to acts of violence by cer- 
tain individuals who, for their own ends, hoped to 
shatter the age-long aspirations of the Jewish 
people. There can be no doubt that it was as- 
sumed in some quarters, that when the trouble, 
which had been deliberately encouraged, arose, 
the Home Government, embarrassed by a thou- 
sand difficulties at its doors, would agree with the 
wire-pullers in Palestine, and say to the Jewish 
people that the carrying out of the Balfour Dec- 
laration, owing to the hostility displayed by the 
Arabs, was outside the range of practical poli- 
tics. To these schemers it must have been some- 
what galling, to say the least of it, to find certain 
men openly fighting them, foot by foot, and inch 
by inch, for the realisation of the ideals expressed 
in the famous Balfour Declaration. 

One of these men was Jabotinsky, a man with 
a notable name in Jewry; therefore a thrust at 
him would also be a blow to Jewish prestige in 
Palestine. He was a mere foreigner, a Jew from 
Eussia, and presumably without influential 
friends ; a man, surely, on whom officialdom could 
safely pour out the vials of its unjust wrath, 
without any fear of evil consequences to itself. 
At all events, contemptible methods were adopted 
in order to strike at the man who had dared to 
let the authorities know that their local policy 
was a menace to his people dwelling in the Holy 
Land and a serious danger to the Restoration. 

"When Jabotinsky saw that certain members of 
the Staff were adopting measures towards Jew- 



strange Methods of the E, E. F. Staff 243 

ish soldiers, and Jewish ideals in Palestine, which 
must inevitably result in disaster, and being loth 
to believe that the C.-in-C. could be privy to such 
a policy, he addressed the following letter to Gen- 
eral Allenby: 

''Sir: 

**I was the initiator of both the Zion Mule Corps and 
the actual Jewish Battalions. To-day I am forced to 
witness how my work is breaking into pieces under the 
intolerable burden of disappointment, despair, broken 
pledges, and anti-Semitism, permeating the whole ad- 
ministrative and military atmosphere, the hopelessness 
of all effort and of all devotion. 

**The common opinion is that you are an enemy of 
Zionism in general and of the Jewish Legion in par- 
ticular. I still try to believe that this is not true, that 
things happen without your knowledge, that there is a 
misunderstanding, and that the situation can yet 
improve. 

''In this hope, as the last attempt to stop a process 
which threatens to impair forever Anglo-Jewish friend- 
ship throughout the world, I beg you to grant me a per- 
sonal interview and permission to speak freely. This 
letter is entrusted to your chivalry. 

(Signed) *'V. jABOTmsKY. ' ^ 

I knew nothing whatever about the dispatch of 
this letter, and, although I am aware that red tape 
will hold up its hands in holy horror at the au- 
dacity of it, it must be remembered that Jabo- 
tinsky^s position was an exceptional one. He was 
not a British subject, and not used to the routine 
of British red tape. Members of the British Im- 
perial War Cabinet thought it good policy to hear 



244 With the Judeans in Palestine 

his views, and no doubt when he entrusted this 
letter to the chivalry of General Allenby, he felt 
confident that if he was making any deviation 
from ordinary routine, it was for a good pur- 
pose and would not be counted against him. It 
is an open, straightforward, honest letter, a heart- 
felt cry from a man who sees that the whole struc- 
ture which he has been at such pains to build is 
in serious peril of being overthrown by the 
machinations of the Anti-Jewish people on the 
Staff. 

And now a curious thing happened. It was 
known to the Staff that Jabotinsky was at the 
time staying in Jaffa, and that he was to be found 
almost daily at the house of a friend who was 
living there. About a week after he had sent his 
letter to the Commander-in-Chief, a Staff Major 
from G. H. Q., E. E. F., appeared in Jaffa and 
took up his quarters in the same house as that in 
which Jabotinsky 's friend dwelt. When the in- 
evitable meeting took place, the Staff Major, who, 
by the way, knew Jabotinsky well, remarked that 
the C.-in-C. had received his ( Jabotinsky 's) let- 
ter, and would probably send for him one of these 
days, but that in the meantime it would be well if 
Jabotinsky stated his grievances then and there 
to himself. *^You can speak to me openly as to 
a friend,'' said the Major, **I have some influence 
at G. H. Q., and I shall be glad to assist in right- 
ing any wrong done to Jews." On hearing this, 
Jabotinsky unhesitatingly explained the situation 



Strange Methods of the E. E, F, Staff 245 

both as to its effects on the Regiment, and on 
Jewish aspirations in Palestine. The result of 
this '^friendly conversation'' was a mendacious 
report written by the Staff Major to the Deputy 
Adjutant General at G. H. Q., E. E. F. Some 
time afterwards by a mei;e chanqe I saw a copy 
of this report and, so far as it referred to Jabo- 
tinsky, it was practically untrue from beginning 
to end. 

If the responsible authorities at G. H. Q. knew 
of the method adopted to lure Jabotinsky into the 
* ^friendly conversation'' which served as a pre- 
text for this gross libel on his character, it re- 
minds one of the good old days when Governments 
had recourse to '^Agents provocateurs/* What G. 
H. Q. certainly should have known was that the 
accusations levelled at Jabotinsky by a member 
of their Staff were absolutely untrue. They knew 
him to be a good and gallant officer who had done 
his duty, and much more than his duty, faithfully 
and well to England, but it would appear as if 
G. H. Q. were greedy for such a document and 
swallowed it with avidity without any reference 
to me, or so far as I know, to anybody else. I 
think that even the most prejudiced of my readers 
will admit that in fairness and justice to Jabo- 
tinsky this secret report should have been sub- 
mitted to him for his information, and such ex- 
planation and refutation as he could give, before 
any action was taken against him. It is strictly 
laid down in the King's Regulations that all ad- 



246 With the Judeans in Palestine 

verse reports must be shown to the officer whose 
reputation is affected, but as I have shown over 
and over again, the Staff of the E. E. F. were 
apparently a law unto themselves, and above even 
King's Eegulations! 

I knew nothing whatever of all that had been 
going on; I knew nothing of Jabotinsky'^s letter 
to the C.-in-C; I knew nothing of his interview 
with the Staff Major from G. H. Q., and needless 
to say, I knew nothing of the report which the lat- 
ter had written. My first inkling of the situation 
was through an official letter, emanating from the 
Deputy Adjutant General, which stated that **the 
Commander-in-Chief has his own duly constituted 
advisers on matters of policy, and is not prepared 
to grant an interview to a Lieutenant of the 38th 
Battalion Eoyal Fusiliers to discuss such mat- 
ters." 

From this moment G. H. Q. lost no time in get- 
ting rid of Jabotinsky. On August 29, 1919, I 
received an urgent order to send this officer to 
Kantara for immediate demobilisation. This took 
me by surprise, as I was very short of Jewish 
officers, and stood much in need of Jabotinsky 's 
services in the Battalion. I wrote and protested 
against his demobilisation, stating that I needed 
his services, but the only result was the receipt 
of the following peremptory memorandum : 

'*A direct order was conveyed for Lieut. Jabotinsky 
to proceed to demobilisation Camp Kantara forthwith. 
If he has not already gone, this officer will leave for 
Kantara by rail today. Noncompliance with this order 



strange Methods of the E, E. F. Staff 247 

will lead to disciplinary action being taken. Please 
report departure.*' 

The above was signed by a Staff Officer. 

As a result of this piece of Prussianism, Jabo- 
tinsky had to proceed to Kantara, where at light- 
ning speed he was demobilised. 

He wrote a protest to the Army Council, which 
I forwarded with my own views on the case. The 
appeal was a lengthy one, but I will merely quote 
the following passage: 

^'With the deepest reluctance and regret I must say 
that I consider this action shows ingratitude. I do not 
deserve it at the hands of the British Authorities. From 
the first days of this War I have worked and struggled 
for British interests. I am neither a British subject nor 
an immigrant. I had never been in the United King- 
dom, or in any British Dominion before this War. I 
came to England in 1915 as a Russian Journalist, cori^- 
spondent of the oldest Liberal paper in Eussia, the Mos- 
cow Wiedomosti. As a correspondent, I did my best to 
explain to the Russian public the British effort, and to 
combat the anti-British propaganda. At the same time, 
I started on my own initiative a pro-Entente and pro- 
British propaganda amongst neutral and Russian Jewry. 
At that time many Jews bitterly resented England's alli- 
ance with Russia. In the autumn 1915 I founded a Yid- 
dish fortnightly Di Tribune in Copenhagen, which took 
up a strong anti-German and anti-Turkish attitude. Its 
articles were constantly quoted in the American Jewish 
press, and found their way even into Germany and 
Austria. Here again I have the right to say that I was 
one of the few — perhaps one of the two men (counting 
Dr. Weizmann first) — responsible for the origin of the 
present pro-British attitude of all Jewry. I may add 
that I did all this at my own expense, or with means 



248 With the Judecms in Palestine 

provided by my Zionist friends, without any support 
from any British source. 

"Against this I know of no facts which could justify 
the attitude taken up by G. H. Q., E. E. F. I have 
never heard of any complaint or censure of my conduct 
as Officer or Man; I have never been informed or even 
given a hint that anything in my activity could be 
objected to. 

''My compulsory demobilisation under these condi- 
tions will throw a slur on my name. I consider it un- 
just. I request that it be annulled, and that I be re- 
instated in my well-earned position as an Officer of the 
Judeans. ' ' 

A reply to this appeal was never received and 
I do not know whether it ever reached the Army 
Council. Thus came about the victimization of 
Jabotinsky, the man who had done so much for 
England in her hour of need, who had over and 
over again in the firing line shown that he was 
prepared to make even the last great sacrifice 
itself in the cause for which England was fight- 
ing. As a reward for all his devotion to England 
he was, by strange and un-English devices, prac- 
tically drummed out of the Army. I think my 
readers will agree with me that the scandalous 
course of action pursued by the Staff of the E. E. 
F. in the case of Lieut. Jabotinsky would, if it 
became popular in high places, soon bring our 
country to ruin and rob us of our fair name. We 
know what the corrupt bureaucrats have done for 
the once mighty Eussian Empire. Had fair play 
and justice held sway there, we would never have 
beheld the present orgy of Bolshevism which is 



strange Methods of the E. E. F. Staff 249 

-■■' n'l! ri^ ,, r'^ \^ 

sweeping through that unhappy country. Let 
all kings, princes, rulers and governors remember 
that *Ho do justice and ensue it^' makes the 
stoutest barrier against Bolshevism, for as it 
says in Ecelesiastes ** oppression maketh a wise 
man mad." 



CHAPTER XXXIV 

THE FIRST JUDEANS 

NOTHING but a sense of the duty which I 
owed to my officers and men induced me to 
continue serving in such a hostile atmos- 
phere after the Armistice had been declared. We 
suffered, but we suffered in silence, and just * ^ car- 
ried on.'' In the midst of our tribulations, how- 
ever, we scored a decided triumph, for the year- 
old decision of the War Office was at last an- 
nounced by the local Staff, that we had won a 
special name. The Judeans, and that H. M. the 
King had sanctioned the Menorah as a special 
badge for the Battalion. The withholding of this 
information from us for a full year could not have 
been an oversight, for I had repeatedly written 
to ask if the War Office had not sanctioned this 
name and badge for the Battalion, but received 
no reply. I can only presume that the object of G. 
H. Q. in withholding this information, which would 
have brought prestige to the Jews, was that they 
had hoped to get the Battalion disbanded and 
abolished so that it might never have the gratifi- 
cation of knowing that the Imperial Authorities 
considered that the Jewish Battalion had dis- 
tinguished itself, and was therefore entitled to 

250 



The First Judeans 251 

the special name and badge promised in 1917 by 
Lord Derby when Secretary of State for War. 

Just after we had received this good news, I 
was gladdened by receiving from the Council 
of Jews at Jerusalem, a beautifully illuminated 
parchment scroll, thanking me for the stand I 
had made in upholding the ideals expressed in 
the Balfour Declaration, and for having led the 
Jewish Battalion successfully in the great strug- 
gle which resulted in the crowning victory. 

Yet one more triumph was in store for the 1st 
Judeans, for, in the beginning of December, 1919, 
orders came from the War Office that it was to be 
retained to garrison Palestine, and that the 39th 
and 40th Battalions were to be amalgamated with 
it. It was a great satisfaction to me to learn that 
it was to be retained, for a time at least, as a unit 
of the British Army, and that it was to be offi- 
cially known as the First Judeans Battalion. I 
now felt that my work was done and I could chant 
my * ^ Nunc dimittis. ' * I had seen my child weather 
the storms which had beaten so fiercely about it, 
and in the end specially chosen to garrison its own 
Home Land. 

A permanent force of Judeans in Palestine is 
an essentially sound measure from every point of 
view. World Jewry would, I am sure, be willing 
to take the entire cost of the maintenance of this 
Force on its own shoulders ; the money spent on it 
would be well invested, for it would be the training 
centre of Palestinian volunteers. Such a train- 
ing would instill a sense of responsibility, and en- 



252 With the Judeans in Palestine 

able young Jewry the more readily to follow stead- 
fastly in the simple but sublime footsteps of their 
heroic forefathers. 

As soon as I got back to England, I had an in- 
terview with the Adjutant General at the War 
Office, and requested that the savage sentences 
passed on the young Americans at Belah should be 
revised. Although the Adjutant General was most 
sympathetic, he could not, at the moment, see his 
way to interfere, so I then wrote to the Prime 
Minister to let him know that these American 
soldiers had been very harshly treated, and were 
still imprisoned in the citadel at Cairo. I pointed 
out that it was hardly sound policy to offend a 
powerful ally by inflicting such a barbarous sen- 
tence on men who had come over the seas as vol- 
unteers to help us in the Great War. I there- 
fore begged him to have their case investigated. 
The result of this letter was that the men were 
speedily released and sent back to their homes in 
the United States. 



CHAPTER XXXV 

THE JEEUSALEM POGROM 

SHORTLY after my return to England events 
occurred in Palestine, which prove up to the 
hilt all that I have written with regard to 
the anti-Jewish attitude of certain members of the 
E. E. F. Staff. A veritable ''pogrom/' such as 
we have hitherto only associated with Tzarist 
Russia, took place in the Holy City of Jerusalem 
in April, 1920, and as this was the climax to the 
maladministration of the Military Authorities, I 
consider that the facts of the case should be made 
public. 

To the observant onlooker it was quite evident 
that the hostile policy pursued by the adminis- 
tration must inevitably lead to outbreaks against 
the Jews. An intelligent people, such as the 
Arabs, could not be blind to the anti-Jewish 
course being steered. The Balfour Declaration, 
that divinely inspired message to the people of 
Israel, was never allowed to be officially published 
within the borders of Palestine; the Hebrew lan- 
guage was proscribed; there was open discrimi- 
nation against the Jews; the Jewish Regiment 
was at all times kept in the background and 
treated as a pariah. This official attitude was in- 

253 



254 With the Judeans in Palestine 

terpreted by the hooligan element and interested 
schemers in the only possible way; namely, that 
the Military Authorities in Palestine were against 
the Jews and Zionism, and the conviction began to 
grow, in some native minds at least, that any act 
calculated to deal a death blow to Zionist aspira- 
tions would not be unwelcome to those in author- 
ity in the Holy Land. 

Moreover, this malign influence was sometimes 
strengthened by very plain speaking. The Mili- 
tary Governor of an important town was actually 
heard to declare in a Y. M. C. A. Hut, in the pres- 
ence of British and French Officers and of Arab 
waiters, that in case of anti-Jewish riots in his 
city, he would remove the garrison, and take up 
his position at a window, where he could watch, 
and laugh at, what went on. This amazing declar- 
ation was reported to the Acting Chief Adminis- 
trator, and the Acting Chief Political Officer, but 
no action was taken against the Governor. Only 
one interpretation can be placed on such leniency. 

In March, 1920, the following extraordinary 
order was issued to the troops in Palestine: **As 
the Government has to pursue in Palestine a policy 
unpopular with the majority of the population, 
trouble may be expected to arise between the 
Jews and the Arabs." This wording is very sig- 
nificant. It was obviously calculated to throw the 
blame for any trouble on the Jews, at the same 
time representing the Government as an unfor- 
tunate victim who under some mysterious pres- 
sure ^'has to pursue'^ a Zionist policy. 



The Jerusalem Pogrom 255 

The moment I heard that a certain officer was 
to be appointed to an important post in Palestine, 
I felt it my duty to warn the chief Zionist leader of 
the evil that would follow such an appointment, 
and told him that in the interests not only of 
Jewry, but of England, it was necessary that he 
should make a public protest against the appoint- 
ment of this official. Although I warned Dr. Weiz- 
mann of the dangers that would follow, he was 
loth to believe that a British Officer would be dis- 
loyal to the policy laid down by his Government. 
The good Doctor had not suffered with the Jew- 
ish Battalion and did not realize the situation or 
the intrigues that were in the air. So far as I am 
aware, no protest was made, and this official was 
duly appointed. I feared for the future, not so 
much on account of the Jews, as on account of 
the harm that would be done to the prestige 
and good name of England, and the result 
will show that my fears were only too well 
grounded. 

Within a few months of this appointment, pub- 
lic anti-Zionist demonstrations were permitted 
throughout the land. These manifestations took 
the form of processions through the streets with 
drums beating and banners fiying, the chanting 
of fanatical verses against the Jews being a fea- 
ture of these displays. In Jaffa inflammatory 
speeches were delivered from the steps of the 
Military Governor's office in the presence of Brit- 
ish officials, calling for the extermination of Zion- 
ism. Arab papers were allowed to write the most 



256 With the Judeans in Palestine 

outrageous articles against the Jews, while on 
the other hand, if a Jewish paper dared to say 
the least word of protest, it was immediately 
called to account. 

With these significant happenings taking place 
before their eyes, and feeling that they would get 
little or no protection from the Military Adminis- 
tration, the Jews clearly saw that it was abso- 
lutely essential for their own safety to form a 
Self-Defence Corps, for purely protective pur- 
poses. This they did, and Lieutenant Jabotinsky 
was entrusted with the command. This officer, 
with the full knowlege of the Administration, en- 
rolled a body of young men and trained them in 
case of need. His first act on taking command 
was to inform the Authorities of the existence of 
the Corps, its arming and its purpose. He even 
asked the Government for weapons, reminding 
them that rifles and ammunition had been issued 
to Jewish colonists in Galilee under similar cir- 
cumstances. It must be remembered that the 
Jewish people in Palestine never gave the authori- 
ties a moment's anxiety; on the contrary, they 
were most law-abiding citizens, who helped the 
British Administration in every conceivable way. 
They were astounded and mystified by the hos- 
tility displayed towards them by the local Ad- 
ministration, and it is not too much to say 
that they went in fear of their lives, for the 
hooligan element in the Arab quarter began 
to declare openly that they would slaughter 
them. 




^^p^ 




(1) Tin: .iKmciKi . 

JERUSAL.EM (.i 
p. 260). 



rtrSAI.E^f TJOAD. (l!i MoS(,.l !•: (IK o.M.Vll ANO ARCHES— 
', p. 257). (3) DAMASCUS GATE OF JERUSALEM (See 



The Jerusalem Pogrom 257 

The day when an outbreak on the part of the 
cut-throats was expected was Friday, April 2nd, 
for on that date the celebrated **Nebi Musa'' pro- 
cession was to take place. Moslems from all parts 
of Palestine meet once a year for prayer at the 
Mosque of Omar (built on the site of Solomon's 
temple), and then form a procession to the Tomb 
of Moses in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea. 
The Moslem world holds Moses in great vener- 
ation as a Prophet, and believes that when he 
died in Mount Nebo, a Bedouin carried his body 
across the Jordan and buried it at the shrine now 
known as Nebi Musa, which is annually visited by 
thousands of Moslem pilgrims. The day dreaded 
by the Jews passed without incident, but in the 
light of what took place a couple of days later, 
I am inclined to think that this desirable result 
was achieved, not so much by the precautions 
taken by the Administration, as by those taken 
by the Jewish Self-Defence Corps, which was 
known to be held in readiness for all eventualities 
on that day. 

On Sunday, April 4, a belated crowd of pilgrims 
from Hebron approached the Holy City by the 
Jaffa Gate. Fanatical agitators posted them- 
selves on the balcony of the Municipality Build- 
ing and, for the space of two hours, delivered 
brutally inflammatory speeches against the Jews 
to this mob, in the presence of British officials 
who understood Arabic. It must be remembered 
that these pilgrims were armed and yet no at- 
tempt was made to suppress the agitators, al- 



258 With the Judeans in Palestine 

thoTigh there was ample police and military 
strength available in the neighbourhood. Imme- 
diately after the inflammatory speeches, acts of 
violence began. I reproduce here extracts from 
a couple of letters which I received, giving graphic 
descriptions of the outbreak by eye-witnesses — 
one of them a Senior British Officer, not a Jew. 

* ' Palestine, 
'* April 10, 1920. 
**My dear Colonel: 

' ^ We are passing through terrible and unprecedented 
times. Who could ever have thought that a pogrom 
*a la Kusse,' with all its horrors, could take place in 
Jerusalem under British rule! Who could ever have 
conceived that it should be possible, in the Holy City of 
Jerusalem, that for three days Jews, old and young, 
women and children could be slaughtered, that rape 
should be perpetrated, synagogues burnt, scrolls of the 
Law defiled, and property plundered right and left, un- 
der the banner of England ! 

*'The Anti- Jewish feeling of the Administration here 
you, of course, know all about, as you have experienced 
it yourself, but latterly the notorious Syria Genuha (an 
Arab daily in Jerusalem), printed day after day in- 
flammatory articles against the Jews. . . . 

** Anti- Jewish demonstrations were allowed to take 
place, and inflammatory speeches were allowed to be 
made against the Jews. The evil men amongst the 
Arabs openly declared that they would slaughter the 
Jews at the Festival of Nebi Musa. The Government 
was warned by the Jewish press and by Jewish respon- 
sible leaders, but they were not listened to, and as a mat- 
ter of fact the Feast was proclaimed with great pomp, 
Lord AUenby and Major General Louis Jean Bols, the 
Chief Administrator, being present. ..." 



The Jerusalem Pogrom 259 

' * Palestine, 
''April 11, 1921. 
"My dear Colonel: 

' * . . . With my wife I went up to Jerusalem to 
spend the Easter week-end, and a very nice week-end it 
surely was! Long before this letter reaches you, you 
will have learned something of the happenings in the 
Holy City, but as my wife and I saw the first blow 
struck, and had very personal experience of the imme- 
diately ensuing bother, you may be interested : 

''The happenings here have raised all sorts of ques- 
tions and while for the moment the trouble is over, I 
fear the end is not yet. 

''On the morning of Easter Sunday we were stand- 
ing on the balcony of the New Grand Hotel, watching 
the progress of an Arab procession just arrived from 
Hebron. As the procession reached the entrance to 
the Jaffa Gate it just had the appearance of the usual 
show of this kind — a bit noisy but apparently well- 
behaved. It was escorted by two officers of the Military 
Administration and a few of the Arab police. All at 
once the members of the procession formed themselves 
into a square, just inside the gate, and the first thing 
we saw then was an old Jew about seventy years of age 
get his head split open with an Arab's sword, and as 
soon as he was down he was stoned ; within a few minutes 
a lot more Jews got like treatment. By this time the 
crowd was well out of hand and rushed quickly into the 
old City, looting and killing, and a few hours afterwards 
there was a steady evacuation of battered Jews. There 
were no military present. 

"The following day the trouble started again, and a 
lot more were injured, and the third morning there was 
more looting and more casualties, and then at last the 
Military took strong steps and the trouble was at an 
end. . . . 

"Yours sincerely, 

(Signed) "E. N/^ 



260 With the Judeans in Palestine 

In less than half an hour from the beginning of 
the outbreak, two companies of the Self-Defence 
Corps marched to the Jaffa and Damascus Gates 
to assist in quelling the disturbance within the 
walls, but they found the gates closed to them and 
held by British troops. It is very significant that 
within a few minutes of the commencement of the 
pogrom, British troops held all the gates of the 
city, with explicit orders to allow no one in and 
no one out — not even helpless women, fleeing from 
the horrors that were being enacted in the Jew- 
ish quarter, unless they held special permits. 

For nearly three days the work of murder, rape, 
sacrilege, and pillage went on practically un- 
checked — all under British rule. There is only one 
word which fittingly describes the situation, and 
that is the Russian word ** pogrom.*' It means a 
semi-lawful attack on Jews. The assailants be- 
lieve that they may murder, rape, burn and loot 
to their hearts ' content, with the silent blessing of 
the authorities, and it is a very significant fact 
that all through this Jerusalem pogrom the hooli- 
gans ' cry was ''El dowleh ma^ana'^ which means 
^^The Government is with us.'* The attackers 
were absolutely convinced of the truth of their 
battle cry. During these three terrible days sev- 
eral Jews were killed, hundreds were wounded 
(many of these being old men, women, and chil- 
dren), rape was perpetrated, synagogues were 
burnt, and tens of thousands of pounds' worth 
of Jewish property was looted or destroyed. 

The pogrom was confined to that part of Jeru- 



The Jerusalem Pogrom 261 

salem within the walls of the old City, where the 
Moslems greatly outnumber the Jews — in fact the 
latter are here a small and helpless minority. 
They take no part in politics, not even in political 
Zionism, but are absorbed in religious practices 
and obseri^ances, and abhor all things worldly, 
Even self-defence is repellent to them, and all 
forms of violence anathema. These harmless peo- 
ple dwell in half a dozen narrow tortuous streets 
and bazaars, in one corner of the old City. This 
Jewish quarter is quite easy to defend. A few 
armed men posted at the narrow entrances could 
hold any mob at bay. Why did not the military 
authorities see that this was done? It was not 
until the third day that effective action was taken. 
In the meantime hell was let loose on these un- 
fortunate people. Even the wretched few who 
got to the city gates, unless they possessed spe- 
cial permits, were refused permission to escape 
and were forced to return to the devilries being 
enacted by the murdering, raping, looting mob. 

It is a black page in our history and those re- 
sponsible should not be allowed to escape just 
punishment. To cover their own blunders the lo- 
cal Administration looked round for a scapegoat, 
and arrested Jabotinsky and some score members 
of the Jewish Self -Defence Corps. 

Jabotinsky was tried on a ridiculous charge of 
'^banditism, instigating the people of the Otto- 
man Empire to mutual hatred, pillage, rapine, 
devastation of the country, and homicide in divers 
places" — in fact, they ransacked the Ottoman 



262 With the Judeans in Palestine 

penal code to trump up these absurd charges 
against him. Jabotinsky had been guilty of noth- 
ing, except that he had organized the Self -Defence 
Corps with the full knowledge of the authorities, 
many weeks before the outbreak, and it was owing 
to the existence of this Corps that the pogrom did 
not take much more serious dimensions. By far 
the greater part of the Jews, and practically all 
the Zionist Jews, dwell outside the old City in the 
modern part of Jerusalem, and it would naturally 
be upon these that the mob would have fallen, but 
not a Jewish house outside the city walls was 
raided, for the simple reason that the Jewish Self- 
Defence Corps was there and ready to act. 

The Self-Defence Corps did nothing whatever 
against the British Authorities, and many mem- 
bers of it were in fact, used by the Administration 
to police the environs of the City. Nevertheless, 
a British Military Court, which publicly stated 
that it would be bound by no rules of procedure, 
was found, which convicted Jabotinsl^ and in- 
flicted upon him the savagely vindictive sentence 
of fifteen years of penal servitude! 

This trumping up of the preposterous charges 
mentioned is a disgrace to British justice, and 
the whole history of this atrocious outrage is a 
foul stain on our fair name. It may be noted in 
passing that two Arabs caught raping Jewish 
girls during the pogrom received the same sen- 
tence as Jabotinsky, whose only crime was that he 
was a Jew. 

Jabotinsky was cast into prison, clothed in 



The Jerusalem Pogrom 263 

prison garb, had his hair cropped, and was 
marched in company with the two Arabs convicted 
of rape through Jerusalem and Kintara, places 
where he was well known as a British officer. Even 
the worst Hun that we have read of could hardly 
have exceeded the savagery and tyranny shown 
by the Military Authorities of the E. E. F. 
towards Jabotinsky, an officer who fought stoutly 
for us and helped England and her cause in every 
possible way to the full extent of his power dur- 
ing the war. 

Of course a storm of public indignation was 
aroused. In fact, one of our leading statesmen, 
on seeing the telegram announcing the barbarous 
sentence, was heard to remark, **The Military in 
Palestine must have gone mad ! ' ' The matter was 
raised in the House of Commons, and Mr. Church- 
hill, who was then Secretary of State for War, 
was called upon to make a statement. The War 
Office took action, and in a very short time the 
sentence was annulled. 

It apparently required this outrage to open the 
eyes of the Home Government to what was going 
on in Palestine. As soon as they realized the 
situation matters began to move in the right di- 
rection and the first step taken was the removal 
of the Military Administration. 



CHAPTER XXXVI 

THE DAWN 

WHILE Jerusalem was yet plunged in sor- 
row and filled with lamentation, the glad 
tidings arrived from San Remo that the 
Allied Council had endorsed England's promise 
of a National Home for the Jews in Palestine, and 
that Great Britain had been appointed the Manda- 
tory Power. England, to emphasize her deter- 
mination to deal justly with Israel, wisely decided 
that the ruler of Palestine should be a Jew and ap- 
pointed Sir Herbert Samuel as First High Com- 
missioner of the Holy Land. 

When the great roll call is made of those who 
have helped in bringing about the Restoration, 
the name of Baron Edmund de Rothschild will 
take a high and honourable place. His boundless 
munificence to the Zionist Cause and to the Zion- 
ist Colonists in Palestine has helped the move- 
ment enormously. 

Palestine will loom larger and larger in world 
importance as the years roll by. We have seen 
that it is the very keystone of our policy in the 
Near and Far East and when it is colonized by a 
friendly people, working hand in hand with Eng- 
land, then the vexed question of our interests in 
those regions will be solved. 

264 



The Dawn 265 

For many years the Jew and the Arab have 
worked together without the slightest friction, 
and I see no reason for any in the future. There 
will be no trouble whatever in Palestine between 
these two peoples when the country is properly 
governed, and the local officials loyally carry out 
the policy of the Imperial Government. With an 
efficient, straightforward Administration, holding 
the scales of justice evenly, and working in co- 
operation with Jew and Arab, the dawn of a new 
and prosperous era of the Holy Land is as- 
sured and Israel's age-long aspirations will at 
last be fulfilled. 

Britain's share in the fulfilment of prophecy 
must, however, not be forgotten, and the names of 
Mr. Lloyd George and Mr. Balfour, two men who 
were raised up to deal justly with Israel, will, I 
feel sure, live for all time in the hearts and affec- 
tions of the Jewish people. It is owing to the 
stimulus given by the Balfour Declaration to the 
soul of Jewry throughout the world that we are 
now looking upon the wonderful spectacle, un- 
folding itself before our eyes, of the people of 
Israel returning to the Land promised to Abra- 
ham and his seed forever. In the ages to come it 
will always redound to the glory of England that 
it was through her instrumentality that the Jew- 
ish people were enabled to return and establish 
their National Home in the Promised Land. 

^^ Weeping may endure for a night, but joy 
cometh in the morning." 

There is plenty of room in Palestine for both 



266 With the Judeans in Palestine 

Jew and Arab, and in fact one is the complement 
of the other. At present there are about 600,000 
Arabs in the country, but when Palestine is 
watered and tilled and made a fruitful country 
once again, it will support a population of five or 
six million people. Not only would the Jews 
not injure the Arabs, but on the contrary, Jewish 
colonisation and Jewish enterprise will prove ex- 
tremely beneficial to all the dwellers in Palestine. 
The Jewish immigrants now going into the coun- 
try are full of boundless enthusiasm, ready to work 
and to give even life itself to bring about the re- 
construction of their ancient Homeland. With 
Jewish brains, Jewish labour, and Jewish capital, 
Palestine will be made to flourish like the prover- 
bial green bay tree. The land will be irrigated and 
afforested; water power will be ** harnessed" and 
made to supply light and heat. Trade of all sorts 
will spring up, fresh markets for goods will be 
opened, the wonderful natural harbour of Haifa 
will be improved — and all of this will naturally 
bring increased wealth and comfort to the Arab 
as well as to the Jew. Even at the present mo- 
ment the Jewish colonies are a joy to behold and 
the land in their immediate neighbourhood has 
gone up in value threefold. 



APPENDIX I 



HONOURS LIST 



Distinguished Service Order 

Military Cross 

Military Cross with bar . . 

Military Cross 

Military Cross with bar . . 
Military Cross with bar . . 
Distinguished Conduct Medal 
Military Medal 
Military Medal 
Military Medal 
Military Medal 
Military Medal 
Military Medal 
Mentioned in Despatches 
Mentioned in Despatches 
Mentioned in Despatches 
Mentioned in Despatches 

Mentioned in Despatches 
Mentioned in Despatches 
Mentioned in Despatches 
Mentioned in Despatches 



Major E. Neill 
Captain D. G. Leadley 
Captain T. B. Brown 
2/Lieut. T. H. Fligelstone 
2/Lieut. J. Cameron 
2/Lieut. A. B. Bullock 
C. S. M. Plant 
Corporal M. Bloom 
Lee. Corporal M. Elfman 
Private J. Sapieshvili 
Private J. Gordon 
Private J. Angel 
Private A. J. Robinson 
Major R. Ripley 
Capt. G. Cunningham 
Lieut. Simon Abrahams 
Co. Sergt.-Maj. P. Tennens 

(Died on Service) 
Co. Sergt.-Major C. Black 
Corporal W. Benjamin 
Private J. Blumenthal 
Private N. Karstadt 



CASUALTY LIST 
38th Battalion Royal Fusiliers 



Lieut. B. Wolffe 
Sergeant B. Levy 
Sergeant C. Levy 



Killed 

Private S. Mildemer 
Private S. Graymen 
Private R. Marks 
267 



268 Appendix 

Died From Wounds or Disease 



Co. Sergt. Maj. P. Tennens Private M. Deitz 


Lce.-Corporal A. Lloyd 


Private W. Weinberg 


Lce.-Corporal H. Strong 


Private J. Berman 


Private B. Brick 


Private N. Freeman 


Private C. Ser ember 


Private H. Canter 


Private G. Redlikh 


Private J. Levy 


Private S. Hart 


Private N. Alick 


Private L. Black 


Private M. Bienstock 


Private I. Goldrich 


Private M. Bloomenthal 


Private J. Malkin 


Private L. Allonowitz 


Private P. Soborinsky 


Private M. Freiner 


Private S. Abrabamson 


Private M. Galinsky 


Private S. Kosenberg 


Private J. Shaft 



Wounded 

Capt. A. W. Julian, M. C. Private A. J. Robinson 
Lieutenant H. B. Cross Private P. Lefcovitch 



APPENDIX II 

Care and Comforts Committee, 38th-42nd Royal 
Fusiliers, known also as the Jewish Regiment and the 
Judeans. 

Civil Executive Committee 

The Rt. Hon. Lord Rothschild, President 

Mr. M. J. Landa, Hon. Sec. J. Ettinger, Esq. 

Mrs. J. H. Hertz Leopold Frank, Esq. 

Mrs. Ch. Weizmann L. J. Greenberg, Esq. 

J. D. Kiley, Esq., M. P. M. Kaye, Esq. 

Sir Adolph Tuck, Bart. Dr. Goodman Levy 

E. N. Adler, Esq. Lionel D. Walford, Esq. 

Joseph Cowen, Esq. Henry Wolff, Esq. 
Dr. M. D. Eder 

Honour ary Members 

Lt.-Col. J. H. Patterson, D. S. 0. 

Lt.-Col. F. D. Samuel, D. S. 0. 

Lt.-Col. E. L. Margolin, D. S. 0. 

Maj. W. Schonfield 

Maj. Rev. S. Lipson, C. F. 

Lt. W. A. Langhorne 

Lt. V. Jabotinsky 

Lt. S. Lipsey 

Sergt. Joseph L. Cohen 

Care and Comforts Committee 

Mrs. J. H. Hertz, Chairman 

Mr. Henry Wolff, Honorable Secretary 

269 



270 Appendix 

Mrs. M. Epstein, Chairman, Comforts Committee 
Mrs. Paul Goodman, Chairman, Canteen Committee 
M. J. Landa, Esq., Chairman, Literature Committee 
Mrs. E. L. Rowson, Chairman, Dependents' Committee 
Mrs. Henry Wolff, Chairman, Hospitality Committee 
Miss Francesca Woolf, Chairman, Entertainments Com- 
mittee 
M. Wallach, Esq. 



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